Siddons: Raqibul 'confused'

Coach hoping batsman has a change of heart after quitting

Last updated: 11th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Siddons: Raqibul 'confused'

Raqibul: 'An upset kid'

I hope the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) welcome him back because he's a kid who's a bit confused.

Jamie Siddons on Raqibul Hasan
Quotes of the week

Related links

Teams

Players

Also see

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons is hoping to welcome back Raqibul Hasan into the squad after the 'confused' batsman quit on Wednesday.

The 22-year-old handed in his notice following a net session just two days before the start of the first Test against England, apparently unhappy at his omission from the recent one-day squad.

Raqibul made his way back into the side after scoring a century in one of the three warm-up matches against the tourists, but Siddons hopes the cricket board goes easy on the youngster.

"He didn't like being dropped in the way he was dropped, then missing out on the 30 for the T20 (World Cup) squad, which was probably bad selection, and he's really disappointed," said Siddons.

"He thought he'd proved his point that he was good enough to be in that 30, which I think he is, and then he walked away.

"I don't know who he was trying to hurt, or what point he was trying to prove, but I hope the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) welcome him back because he's a kid who's a bit confused.

"He's obviously an upset kid at the moment. He's decided to call it quits for the moment and hopefully in the near future he has a change of heart and everyone accepts him back, which is what I hope happens."

The BCB later issued a statement saying the player will be allowed to return if he has a change of heart.

"The abrupt nature of this announcement has come as a shock to everyone concerned as this was totally unexpected," the statement read.

"The board understands that this was a unilateral decision on the player's part but also feels it was rather premature.

"We certainly do not wish to see a talented young cricketer like Roqibul leaving the game so early and hope he will reconsider his position. It is our sincere expectation that he will return to mainstream cricket at the earliest."