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Following their home Test series against South Africa, Bangladesh is set to face Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series in the UAE, starting November 6. Speculation has surrounded Shakib Al Hasan's availability for the series.

Ahead of a Wednesday board meeting, BCB President Faruque Ahmed addressed the media, saying, “Shakib is available for selection in the ODI series against Afghanistan. The squad hasn’t been announced yet, which means he’s available.”

Previously, Shakib expressed interest in stepping away from Test cricket after the Mirpur Test against South Africa. Despite initially planning the team around him, security concerns postponed his return, and the board subsequently revised the squad without him.

During the India tour, Shakib had announced plans to retire from Test and T20 cricket, indicating he wouldn’t extend his ODI career either.

Faruque said that the board had nothing to do with Shakib being unable to play his farewell Test and asserted that from his position as board president, he tried his level best to make Shakib's farewell Test possible.

"The first thing is that you said that he couldn't play his last Test here but we [BCB] are completely uninvolved with that situation. The law enforcement forces, the government and Shakib were. We are totally an auxiliary part in this. Personally, I tried my level best so that Shakib could take his retirement at home," Faruque told reporters.

"But Shakib is not just a player, he was an MP under the last government. There are some sentiments there. Overall, the government's thoughts and the cricket board's were not the same. As a former player I saw that a boy played cricket for 17 years, he is a brand ambassador, he has done a lot for Bangladesh and I believed it would have been good.

"But we have to see the other things. Considering all that, he could not arrive in the last minute but the board had nothing to do with it. It is completely law related and a matter for the law enforcement agencies. It was up to Shakib and the law enforcement agencies and the board had nothing to do about it," he said.

Shakib intends to conclude his ODI career after the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan. However, recent developments have cast uncertainty over Shakib's return to international cricket with Bangladesh, and his future is expected to be a key topic in today's BCB board meeting.

Bangladesh will meet Afghanistan in Sharjah on November 6 for the opener, with the second and third ODIs scheduled for November 9 and 11 at the same venue.