Fortune Barishal denies rumours of Shoaib Malik’s contract termination

Fortune Barishal, a franchise of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), has denied rumours of Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik’s contract termination.

Malik bowled three no-balls against the Khulna Tigers in the first Dhaka phase match for Barishal. After the Dhaka phase, Malik flew to Dubai to be with his family, and Barishal stated that he left for the entire season, reports UNB.

During this time, rumours surfaced, suggesting that the owner of Barishal terminated Malik's contract due to suspicions of fixing—an allegation that the team owner refuted.

Mizanur Rahman, owner of the Barishal team, trashed the speculation stating, “This is false news. We did not do anything like that.” He addressed the rumours about terminating Malik's contract, adding that they might consider bringing Malik back in the later phase of BPL if he is available.

An hour after speaking with UNB, Mizanur appeared in a video message shared on the Barishal team's social media page, expressing his condemnation of the rumours regarding Malik.

"I would like to thank all supporters of Fortune Barishal,” he said. “We have heard many things regarding Shoaib Malik. I’m protesting those. Shoaib Malik is a good player, and he gave his best game for us. We don’t want to talk about this anymore. We have lost two consecutive matches; now we have to concentrate on the next match.”

After Malik left the team, Barishal signed two more Pakistani players—Ahmad Shehzad and Akif Javed.

After the initial Dhaka phase, BPL is now in Sylhet for a phase of 10 matches. After Sylhet, BPL will return to Dhaka before traveling to Chattogram, and then return to Dhaka for the final phase.