Shakib Al Hasan clarifies reason to chose IPL over Tests: I want to prepare myself properly for T20 World Cup  

Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has clarified his reason to choose to play in the IPL 2021 over his national duty, that is the upcoming 2-match Test tour of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Cricket, on Friday, confirmed the dates for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting from April 21. Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan will miss out due to his IPL commitments. Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board gave him a NOC to participate in the 14th edition of the marquee T20 league. Shakib has opened up on his stance to opt to play in the IPL, for Kolkata Knight Riders, and clarified that he is not moving away from Test cricket. The star all-rounder has stated that playing in the IPL would help him prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup this year. "Continuously people are talking about this Test (skipping the series against Sri Lanka). The people who are saying that I will no longer play the Test or don't want to play the Test haven't read my letter properly and that is it," Shakib was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.