Shakib to skip Sri Lanka Tests

Shakib al Hasan will skip the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Thursday, reports Cricbuzz.
The BCB had not included Shakib for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka and BCB's cricket operation chairman Jalal Yunus told the online sports portal that the southpaw will not be available in the two-match Test series as well, which is part of the third cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. Shakib was struggling with his batting due to his eye problem during the beginning of the Bangladesh Premier League but as time passed, he started to flourish with the bat, making 249 runs in 11 matches despite scoring only four runs from the first three innings.
"He (Shakib) wanted a break from the entire series against Sri Lanka as he didn't want to take part in international cricket. I think his eyes are fine at the moment but I feel he wants a break so that he can come back to international cricket fully fit," Yunus told the online sports portal. The series against Sri Lanka, which includes three T20 Internationals, three ODIs and two Tests, is scheduled from March 4 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium with the three-match T20I series opener.
Shakib might feature in the upcoming Dhaka Premier League, the country's traditional List A tournament, for Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in order to get some more time in the middle with the bat as part of the preparation for international cricket. DPL is scheduled from March 09.
Meanwhile, Dav Whatmore, the former Bangladesh head coach, believes that Mahmudullah has got the experience to handle the pressure of the shortest format and can be utilised at various batting positions. Whatmore, as the team director of Fortune Barishal in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, is observing Mahmudullah closely.