Dhaka: Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan, the world’s leading all-rounder, defended his decision to play in limited-overs games while skipping Test cricket and stated Wednesday that he needed a break from the longest format to extend his career.
Shakib will sit out two Test matches during the upcoming tour of South Africa. “I get surprised when people ask me why I don’t take a break from one-day games or Twenty20 internationals or from the foreign T20 league,” he told reporters here.
“When I play foreign T20 leagues I feel hardly any pressure. For me they are a kind of holiday. Of course, they give me some experience. Financial side is also important.
“But in Test matches, I have to bat and bowl and contribute in all four innings. The team also expect me to do that. It’s not good if I cannot give my 100 per cent,” added the all-rounder.
Shakib is a regular at franchise-based Twenty20 tournaments around the world, and earned $7,12,000 from four T20 competitions in 2016, according to Bangladesh’s ‘Daily Star’ newspaper.
He has played every Test for Bangladesh since missing two games against the West Indies in 2014 because of a suspension. Shakib said the break from Test cricket would help him ‘refresh’ and prolong his career.
“The biggest reason is I think I have still plenty of cricket left in me,” Shakib said. “If I want to play that amount of cricket and play it well, I think this break is essential for me.
“I can play now if I wish. But I have to decide whether I want play five to six more years or just one to two years. I personally feel if I continue this way, I would not be able to play more than one or two years,” Shakib added.
