I was not keen to play the opening Test: Shakib
Shakib Al Hasan © Cricfrenzy
|| CF Correspondent ||
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan revealed that he was not keen to take part in the opening Test against West Indies but later changed his mind on the insistence of the head coach Steve Rhodes.
Ahead of the opening Test, Shakib had said that he was doubtful for the match that started in Chittagong on November 22.
The southpaw, who has made a comeback after an injury layoff, thanked Rhodes for insisting him on playing the match as he was not interested to take part initially. He later opted to have a go due the insistence of the Englishman.
“I was not keen to play initially but our coach told me to play because he felt that I would gain match fitness through playing matches,” said Shakib.
“Perhaps I am the only player to gain match fitness through playing matches,” he added.
Shakib was ruled out of the series against Zimbabwe after his long-standing finger injury flared up. He returned home midway through the Asia Cup, missing the Super Four game against Pakistan and the final vs India. There were, in fact, doubts regarding his participation in the Asia Cup in UAE in September, but he opted to postpone his surgery, which eventually leg to an aggravation of his injury.
Surgery and rehabilitation followed, keeping him out of action for a long period. During his time away, Shakib even feared his left little finger might never heal completely again, but managed to pass the fitness test ahead of the squad selection for the Windies series.
