The 41-year-old veteran caused quite a stir when he abruptly left the tournament midway.
Fortune Barishal's all-rounder, Shoaib Malik, will be eligible for selection starting from February 2nd, ahead of the later stages of the Sylhet leg in the ongoing 2024 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), as reported by ESPN Cricinfo.
The 41-year-old veteran caused quite a stir when he abruptly left the tournament midway. This decision followed his disappointing performance against the Khulna Tigers, where he bowled three no-balls in a single over.
During the fourth over of the innings, the Pakistani all-rounder conceded 18 runs due to the no-balls and the subsequent free hits. Unfortunately, Fortune Barishal ended up losing the match as the opposition chased down the target of 188 runs with two overs and eight wickets to spare.
Following this incident, there was a lot of controversy surrounding match-fixing allegations related to Shoaib Malik's no-ball mishap against the Khulna Tigers. Initially, reports suggested that the player's contract with the franchise had been terminated. However, franchise owner Mizanur Rahman clarified the situation through a social media message, vehemently denying any spot-fixing allegations against the player.
“I deeply regret the rumor regarding Shoaib Malik. He is a great player. He gave us his best. So we should not make a ruckus about it. We lost two consecutive matches so we should focus on the upcoming matches and hopefully, we will turn around. Thank you for being around Fortune Barishal," Mizanur Rahman said.
Shoaib Malik recently issued a statement to address the confusion surrounding his sudden departure from the 2024 BPL.
"I would like to address and dismiss the recent rumours circulating about my playing position with Fortune Barishal. I had a thorough discussion with our captain, Tamim Iqbal, and we mutually planned the way forward. I had to leave Bangladesh for a pre-committed media engagement in Dubai," the player had tweeted
Malik, who had last played in Pakistan's National T20 Cup, commenced his season with the Fortune Barishal on a positive note. He contributed an unbeaten 17 runs and also took a wicket against the Rangpur Riders. However, his fortunes took a turn for the worse in the second match against the Khulna Tigers, where he had a forgettable bowling performance after scoring a mere five runs with the bat. His final appearance for the team came against the Comilla Victorians, where he managed to score just seven runs.
Looking ahead, the Fortune Barishal's next encounter is scheduled for February 3 against the Khulna Tigers. Currently occupying the fifth position on the points table, the franchise has secured two wins out of five matches played thus far.
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 "BPL 2024: Shoaib Malik set to join Fortune Barishal squad on Friday after sudden departure")
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