Nidahas Trophy: Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan to return for key clash against Lanka?

Colombo: The decision to play in the virtual semi-final against Sri Lanka in the ongoing 2018 Nidahas Trophy has been left to the all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan only. This was revealed by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) physician Dr. Debashish Chaudhary.

All-rounder Shakib was scheduled to return to Colombo on Thursday afternoon and "most probably" he will play the match on Friday.

"Shakib has not played competitive cricket for 2 months but has performed well in the net sessions here in Bangladesh. According to us, he is medically fit. However, the final decision to play or not will rest with him," Dr. Chaudhary, speaking exclusively over his mobile from Dhaka said on Thursday.

"He was sent to doctors in Thailand and Australia keeping in mind that he recovers early and returns to cricket field as early as possible," Chaudhary added.

It was not known who exactly mooted the idea of inviting Shakib, but according to the unconfirmed sources, Shakib himself spoke to the BCB president Nazmul Hasan Pappon.

Perhaps after seeing his team's loss against India on Wednesday, he may have prompted himself to be available.

The presence itself of an all-rounder, Shakib, who will turn 31 next month, will boost the morale of the team.

Before leaving for treatment in Australia, he spent two days with the team in Colombo.