Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman Apply For NOC To Play In UAE Leg Of IPL; BCB To Take Decision On September 1

The pair of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman have applied for the no-objection certificates to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to feature in the remainder of the IPL 2021, which will be played from September 19 in the UAE.

BCB operations committee chairman Akram Khan said the board will announce their decision on September 1 – but he is expecting a “positive” response from the board. Akram underlined that the duo will gain crucial experience of playing in the UAE ahead of the T20 World Cup.

“Shakib applied for NOC yesterday while Mustafiz had placed his application a few days ago. We will decide on September 1 but the board is positive on this issue and it will be a positive decision,” Akram told reporters on Sunday.

“IPL is a high-standard tournament. And we will play in those conditions in the T20 World Cup. So if they play in the IPL, it will benefit the whole team. These two players performing is very important for the team,” the former captain added.

Earlier the board had been reluctant to allow Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman to return to the IPL due to international matches. But that road was cleared when the ECB and BCB mutually decided to postpone England’s tour of Bangladesh, which was scheduled ahead of the World Cup, to March 2023.

The all-rounder featured in 3 matches for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first half of the season in which he managed to score 38 runs at less than run-a-ball. Mustafizur, on the other hand, was an integral part of Rajasthan Royals’ bowling attack, snapping up 8 wickets in 7 matches at an economy of 8.29.

Physios are working with Tamim Iqbal’s injury: Akram Khan

Akram Khan gave an update regarding opener Tamim Iqbal’s knee injury which forced him to miss the home Australia T20I series, which Bangladesh won.

“The team will be selected by the selectors and the board president will approve. The physios are working with Tamim Iqbal’s injury. If he recovers, it will be very good for the team because he is a proven player,” Akram said.

Bangladeshi players will be given a break after the home New Zealand T20I series, which will run from September 1 to 10 in Dhaka before they fly to Oman to play the Qualifying tournament of the T20 World Cup from October 17.

“It (possibility of a camp at home) will be a decision based on team management’s requirement. But the players are already tired. They have been playing for long seven-eight. months. So they might want to have a break since there is the bio-bubble issue here (before the World Cup),” Akram stated.

Bangladesh are placed alongside Oman, Scotland, Papua New Guinea in the Qualifying group. The top two teams of the group will proceed through to the Super 12 stage.

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