Jalal Yunus, Chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s cricket operations committee, expressed satisfaction that Bangladesh’s ‘Poster Boy’ is committed to playing for the country full-time rather than participating in franchise leagues.

“Obviously [good news]. I saw his statement in the media. It is good news that now he is focusing more on country’s cricket than outside franchise cricket. This is great news for us. We want Shakib to play for our country as many versions as we have here,” Jalal told media in a press meet.

In recent years, Shakib hasn’t consistently played for the national team due to injuries, franchise commitments, and personal leave. However, he now aims to focus entirely on representing the country in cricket. Despite previous statements about stepping down as the ODI captain after the World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board director clarified that Shakib remains the captain in all formats.

“Reconsideration part does not come here. Still, he is our captain, now we have given Shanto (Najmul Hasan). We told Shanto that there are two series ahead which is the New Zealand series, that’s why we gave him the captaincy,”

“Shakib has been captained for a long time. Still he is the captain of all those editions. We assume that he is the captain. Now there is no question whether he will be the captain or not. He knows he is still the captain” added Jalal.