‘We will keep Shakib under strict surveillance’
BCB president Nazmul Hassan spoke frankly with Prothom Alo in an interview about the latest controversy surrounding Shakib Al Hasan. The interview was taken by Utpal Shuvro.
You were waiting for Shakib’s letter. Have you received it?
Yes, I’ve received it.
What did Shakib write in the letter?
He said he will sever all ties with Betwinner. He will also remove his post regarding this from social media. He has also vowed to play with his heart and soul for the national team.
So, what will the BCB do now? Is Shakib going to be named the T20 captain?
I don’t want to say anything right now. Shakib will return to Bangladesh on the 12th (Friday). I will have a meeting with him in the morning of the 13th. It’s hard to talk about everything on the phone. I want to speak with him face to face.
From the beginning of this controversy, you took a strict and clear stance. What was your reaction when you first heard about the incident?
I was shocked. It was tough to accept. We made him the Test captain, we decided to make him the T20 captain… and he goes onto do this! Had a former cricketer done this, I would’ve understood. How can he do this as a current player. This is a punishable offence according to Bangladesh law. This is clearly stated in the constitution. Personally, I felt really bad. We are making so many plans for him, and he is doing this …
Was Shakib set to become the T20 captain for two years?
We had a long term plan. The World Cup is coming up. I thought, in one to one-and-a-half-year Shakib would form a settled a Test and T20 team. By 2024, we will have a structure in place.
Are you going to stick with the same plan with Shakib?
I need to sit with him first. I need to know, why he did something like this. BCB law, ICC law, the country’s law, it violates all. There is no reason for Shakib not to know about that. So, I need to know what he was thinking when he decided to do this. Did he do it for money? If that’s the case, he will be offered even bigger amounts in the future. What will he do then?
Even if you are satisfied with Shakib’s explanation, making someone like this as the captain could raise questions in world cricket. Especially, as Shakib had earlier been banned for a year for not disclosing match-fixing approaches …
Maybe this time, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. But I can tell you this much, this will be his last chance. We have to keep him under strict surveillance. If something like this happens in the future, I will not consult with anyone, I will take the final decision. Personally, I want our senior players to end their career in a good way. But that doesn’t mean we will keep giving them chances after chances.
When you say that this is Shakib’s last chance, are you just referring to involvement with betting or fixing or does it include disciplinary breaches also?
Everything.
Final question, After all of this, why is Shakib still being made the captain?
We don’t have any options. If Liton Das or Sohan (Nurul Hasan) were fit, we would’ve probably given the captaincy to either of them. But both of them are injured. We spoke about this during the meeting today (Thursday). Mosaddek (Hossain), Riyad (Mahmudullah) and Bijoy’s (Anamul Haque) name also came up as they are the other senior players of the team. None of the young players are ready. If Mehidy Hasan Miraz was a part of the T20 team, maybe we could’ve given him the captaincy.
*This interview appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashfaq-Ul-Alam Niloy