Shakib to ‘sacrifice’ franchise leagues for national team

Injured Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said that he has decided to sacrifice playing in franchise leagues and give his entire time to the national team in a programme he attended at the United States on Monday.

The all-rounder also revealed that he withdrew himself from the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction and Pakistan Super League (PSL) players' draft, in keeping with his new resolution.

"I didn't give my name in the IPL auction. When my manager gave my name for the PSL, I told him to withdraw it. I am not in the PSL draft either. My plan is to give all my time to the national team. Maybe, I will sacrifice all the franchise tournaments that I used to play," said Shakib.

The ace all-rounder missed the two-match Test series against New Zealand and will also not feature in the white-ball series in New Zealand later this month.

Shakib, who is recovering from a fractured left index finger, has been busy campaigning for the upcoming national elections since getting Awami League's nomination from Magura-1 constituency.

However, Shakib is hopeful to return for the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), scheduled to begin on January 19 right after the general elections scheduled on January 7.

"I really hoped that I would at least go for the ODI and T20I series in New Zealand. I had planned something like that since I thought that I would be able to recover within four weeks. I have consulted with the doctor just a couple of days back and he told me that I need to wait for another two weeks and then slowly start the rehab. 

"It's taking longer than I anticipated, around six weeks, and I don't see any chance to begin before BPL. There's also the elections. So obviously I will be busy on this side," he said.