Shakib Al Hasan gets NOC to feature in UAE T20x

The 31-year-old left-armer was expected to fly to the USA for a surgery but he had to be admitted to a hospital in Dhaka on September 27 just before the Asia Cup final.

Veteran Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has received the ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to participate in the UAW T20x, a franchise-based T20 competition in Dubai. The board has allowed him to play after assessing his fitness.

BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan confirmed the development and said, “We have given him the NOC as the reports are very positive.”

The 31-year-old left-armer was expected to fly to the USA for a surgery but he had to be admitted to a hospital in Dhaka on September 27 just before the Asia Cup final. An important procedure was carried out to remove the pus from his injured finger but an infection has ruled him out of action for at least three months at the moment.

In order to gain full fitness, Shakib is set to begin his strength training from next week. If everything happens according to the plan, he is expected to feature in the tournament beginning from December 23.

'Yes, it's a relief for me to get the NOC. If I can get fully fit and play some matches, then my preparation will be good. To come back from a big injury you need some matches under your belt. I am not playing for so long, to get the full rhythm back, these games are very important. The physio and I have decided not to put a time-frame for my return and possibly I will start training shortly. I have to start strength training from next week,” said Shakib.

The all-rounder is hopeful to join the national team at some point in the upcoming series against West Indies as he believes the improvement is quite rapid.