Sabbir Rahman back in Bangladesh squad as BCB reduced his ban

London: Right-hand batsman Sabbir Rahman, who was serving a six-month ban for abusing a fan on social media, has been selected in Bangladesh team for their upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand after Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) reduced his suspension by one month.
Bangladesh chief selector Minhajul Abedin stated that Rahman was included in the team on the request of ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza.
“Let me make one thing clear: he is totally the captain’s choice. He was very insistent about Sabbir. We agreed with him. They want someone who can handle fast bowling lower down the order. He has been picked with the New Zealand series and World Cup in mind. The captain is quite confident about him. I am also hopeful that he can return well,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Abedin, as saying.
“He has performed in the past and has been playing domestic cricket. BPL is an international-standard tournament with a lot of overseas players so we can take his performance there seriously. The selectors have to go with the captain and team management’s plan,” he added.
When quizzed about Rahman’s punishment, the chief selector confirmed that the batsman was made available from January 31 and the decision was taken with the consent of BCB president Nazmul Hassan.
“It is a matter of the disciplinary committee. He was made available from January 31. You [the media] were not informed but his punishment was reduced by a month,” the chief selector said.