The Bangladesh Cricket Board took a firm stand against all-rounder Sakib al Hasan after he allegedly threatened coach Chandika Hathurusinghe to quit Test and one-day internationals if he is not allowed to play Twenty20 tournaments worldwide.
BCB sources said Hathurusinghe asked Sakib to cut short his Caribbean Premier League mission to some extent and join the national team training camp by July 31 as the coach wanted to create a bondage within the team ahead of their West Indies tour.
Sakib reacted sharply to the unexpected request and allegedly went beyond the line something which the coach did not take very well.
‘You came here to earn money and so do I. If necessary I will only play Twenty20 cricket and withdraw myself from playing Tests and ODIs,’ a BCB source quoted Sakib as saying to Hathurusinghe.
Hathurusinghe, who replaced Australian Shane Jurgensen only last month, brought it to the attention of the BCB, prompting the officials to take Sakib to task.
The BCB asked Sakib to return home immediately after he left for West Indies to play in the CPL for Barbados
Trident without any written approval.
Sakib, however, said he had obtained a verbal permission from the cricket operations chief Akram Khan.
Some BCB directors sat on Thursday to discuss the behaviour of Sakib and decided they would not tolerate anymore as the all-rounder had a few more disciplinary complaints against him.
Moreover, Hathurusinghe insisted that the matter needs to be taken seriously in order to bring discipline in the team.
The BCB is expected to discuss the issue further on July 7 at its board meeting where some of his activities in the recent past will also come up for discussion.
Last month during a one-day international match against India he left the dressing room without taking permission from the manager and allegedly beat up a fan in the BCB corridor accusing the man of making indecent gesture towards his wife.
Earlier during a home series against Sri Lanka in February, Sakib made a lewd gesture on television that earned him a three-match ban and a hefty fine.
-With New Age input
