Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque feels that the postponement of their series against Australia is likely to benefit his team, as the rescheduling could allow Shakib Al Hasan to join the squad.
Speaking to Cricbuzz after the two-Test home series, originally slated for June, was postponed, Mominul said he’s ‘not disappointed’ at the delay, but sees it as an opportunity to have a full-fledged squad at his disposal if the series takes place in 2021.
“It has opened the door for us to compete against [Australia] with our full-strength team, considering we will have Shakib bhai back in our squad if the two Test matches get shifted to next year,” Mominul said.
"If Shakib’s punishment – a two-year ban with a year suspended – was considered lenient in certain quarters, in Bangladesh the ruling brought supporters to the streets. It begs the question, is corruption treated with the same gravity around the world?"https://t.co/MSKY77IFUg
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) March 14, 2020
All-rounder Shakib, who became the first player to hit 600 runs and take 10 wickets in a single World Cup last year, is serving a two-year ban [one year suspended] by ICC after accepting three charges of breach under their anti-corruption code. He is free to resume cricket after 29 October this year.
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”The presence of Shakib bhai will naturally bolster our squad because, without him, I would have to search for another left-hand spinner, so it is good from one-side and in that sense, I am not extremely worried about how things are panning out at the moment.
“If the Tests are shifted to April, then Shakib bhai will be more than prepared to take on the Aussies. As a captain, I would always like to have my best player around while taking on teams like Australia.”
