Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan brushed aside the speculation surrounding his fitness levels as he was deemed fit for the upcoming Bangabandhu T20 cup on Wednesday (November 11).
BCB had decided that the players selected in the draft list for the upcoming T20 tournament – slated to begin from the third week of November – will have to undergo a mandatory fitness test before being considered eligible for the competition.
The test was planned to particularly assess the fitness levels of cricketers outside the National Team, High Performance Team and Under 19 setups as they were practicing together recently.
Clearing the fitness test makes Shakib eligible for the T20 tournament that will mark his comeback to competitive cricket following his one year ICC ban that was lifted on October 29 for failing to report corrupt approaches.
”He passed the fitness test and now is eligible to take part in the tournament,” BCB chief selector Minhajul Abedin told Cricbuzz on Wednesday.
After completing the beep test, Shakib spent an hour in the BCB gymnasium sweating it out under the supervision of BCB’s strength and conditioning coach Nick Lee.
Shakib, who stayed in USA for the most part of his ban period with his in-laws and family, underwent intensive training in BKSP in September ahead of the Sri Lanka tour but the training was cut short with the tour getting postponed.
Even though there were concerns surrounding his fitness, his mentor Mohammad Salahuddin was confident that Shakib could play any time. The draft for the Bangabandhu T20 tournament will take place on Thursday.
