Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been handed an all-format contract as the BCB announced a 21-member list of centrally-contracted cricketers for the 2022 season.The inclusion of Shakib, who has been handed rest by the BCB to recover from fatigue, in the all format category clears the air regarding his availability for the national team in the future.The announcement was made hours before the arrival of Shakib from UAE. The all-rounder is expected to sit with the BCB president Nazmul Hasan to discuss his future.
Shakib is among only five cricketers, also including Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das, to be handed all-format contracts. The board introduced format-specific contract system from last year.Tamim Iqbal and Mehedy Hasan earned contracts in Tests and ODIs while Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman and Afif Hossain earned a contract for ODIs and T20Is. Yasir Ali and Mahmudul Hasan are the only two new faces in the contract list as they are included for Tests. Mohammad Saifuddin, Abu Jayed, Saif Hassan, Soumya Sarkar and Shamim Hossain failed to make the cut while Taijul Islam is given only a Test contract although he was included in ODIs over the last year.
