Ace all-rounder Shakib al Hasan failed to reach the minimum score to pass the beep test Wednesday but Bangladesh Cricket Board still gave him a green signal to take part in the forthcoming Bangabandhu T20 Cup, scheduled to take place later this month.
It was learnt that the southpaw, who recently completed his one-year ban imposed by ICC for failing to report multiples corrupt approaches by a listed bookie, was very close to getting 11, the benchmark set by beep test instructors, and BCB considered him taking into account his cricketing abilities.
But a wrong piece of information created a super hype and myriad of praise for Shakib in the social media as it had been learnt that he achieved 13.7, highest among the players who took part in the mandatory beep test for participating in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup.
It was later revealed that BCB’s fitness trainer Tushar Kanti Howlader provided the wrong info that created such a fiasco and the actual fact that Shakib did not even reach 11 has come to light.
As a matter of fact, the kudos should be spared for pacer Mehedi Hasan who scored highest 13.6 and Nihaduzzaman who came second with 13.4.
The Bangabandhu T20 Cup, a five-team tournament with more cash prizes and media coverage, is expected to start later...
Posted by Sports Tribune on Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Shakib however, is kept in the top grade of the players’ draft of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup that is set to take place Thursday.
The tournament is expected to commence later this month.
A beep test is a multi -stage fitness test in which one must do 20-metre shuttle runs. The runs must be done before a pre-recorded sound gives a beep sound after a certain time. With the up of every level the time gets decreases. At a stage the athlete fails to complete the lap before beep and his score is measured accordingly. The fittest of the atheletes may score 18 to 21 in the test.
Within a week Shakib, the most successful player in the country’s history, has been headlined for the wrong reasons twice.
He went to inaugurate a shop in the city no sooner he had arrived from the USA a few days ago and created a stir among many as he breached the Covid-19 protocols.
Shakib completed his one-year ban on October 29 and is expected to return stronger leaving aside a harrowing ordeal in his otherwise illustrious career.
