Shakib gets NOC to play in UAE T20x

Dhaka – Injury-grabbed all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has finally received permission from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to play in the UAE T20x tournament scheduled for December-January next.Shakib, who is recovering from a finger injury, is set to play in the tournament from December 23, a day after the end of the West Indies tour of Bangladesh, to January 1 next year. The UAE T20x League runs from December 19 to January 11, clashing with the Bangladesh Premier League.

Earlier, the BCB rejected Shakib’s application to play in the UEA T20x considering the condition of his injury, but finally granted his petition.

Bangladesh Test and T20 captain Shakib is currently undergoing rehab for a longstanding finger injury, which got worse due to an infection during the Asia Cup, and he underwent an emergency operation in Dhaka before heading to Australia for a further check-up.

He returned home earlier this month and said his return to competitive cricket depended largely on how quickly the infection was completely removed, suggesting he may be back for Bangladesh’s home series against West Indies, which begins with the first Test from November 22.

Shakib will join the likes of Steven Smith, who is currently into the seventh month of a one-year ban handed to him by Cricket Australia for his part in the Newlands ball-tampering incident, Andre Russell and Shahid Afridi.UNB