Shakib 'had Afghan series on mind'

It is already known that Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will not be playing for the ICC World XI in the T20I against the Windies.

Shakib had told the cricket's governing body that he would miss out due to personal reasons, but it seems the Tigers' Afghanistan series was also on his mind.

"We have a good chance to play in the final," Shakib, who is playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, told Prothom Alo over phone from Bangalore.

"If I fly to the UK on 29 May, play the match on the 31st and then return to India the next day (1 June), it will be too hectic a journey for me before the 3 June match," said the all-rounder.

"The Afghanistan series is very important for us. I want to be at my best in the series, so I think it is better to have some rest," he added.

Bangladesh will play three T20 matches against Afghanistan in Dehradun of India on 3, 5 and 7 June.

Fellow batsman Tamim Iqbal will play the friendly match between the World XI and the Windies team at Lord’s though, he will fly to the UK on 26 May and return to India after the game.

All the proceeds from the match will be used to redevelop the stadia in the Caribbean, which were damaged due to hurricanes last year.