Bangladesh's premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said that he was neither mentally nor physically prepared for the upcoming tour of South Africa because he did not enjoy his performances in the recently-concluded series against Afghanistan.

Shakib remained lackluster in the white-ball series against Afghanistan compared to his usual standards. The left-hander scored 60 runs in three matches in the ODI series and scalped 5 wickets. In the T20I series, only 14 runs came from his bat in two matches, whereas on the bowling front, he took 2 wickets for 16 runs in the first game but gave away 32 runs in 3 overs in the next.

"I felt like a passenger in a car [during Afghanistan series], which I never want to be in either the ODI or T20I series. I tried but it didn't work out. I don't think it would be right for me to play in South Africa in this state of mind," Shakib told media at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport today as he was headed for Dubai after having attended Mohammedan Sporting Club's jersey unveiling program for the upcoming Dhaka Premier League.

Previously, Shakib had asked the BCB about his intention to skip the South Africa series before the Indian Premier League auction began. However, as the all-rounder remained unsold in the auction, Shakib's involvement in the Test team was confirmed on Friday.

"I said this to Jalal (Yunus) bhai and I think he will think about this and I will also think about it and then a decision should be taken," Shakib further informed while adding that playing in the series in such a scenario would be akin to cheating his teammates, the country and himself.

Now it remains to be seen if there are further twists in the tale of Shakib's involvement for the national colours.