It was hardly a surprise that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would reach for a familiar narrative - "we want Shakib in the national team" - to divert public and media attention from the crisis it currently faces after failing to convince the government about the consequences of missing the ICC T20 World Cup.

What followed, however, did little to make the move appear convincing. The issue was raised during a 40-minute press conference after a nearly eight-hour board meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday, but without clarity or coherence.

"Why are we bringing Shakib's issue out of nowhere?" a journalist asked BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain, who proceeded to turn the question-and-answer session into something of a spectacle through his over-eagerness at the podium.

Since the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, attention had been firmly fixed on the board meeting. It was there that the idea of floating Shakib's name before the media appeared to have taken shape - a calculated move, knowing it would dominate headlines. It is a formula often employed by previous BCB administrations.

Former BCB president Nazmul Hossain frequently singled out Shakib for criticism in public, seemingly to demonstrate his authority over one of the world's most renowned all-rounders, though the reality was often quite different.

A cricketer, speaking to Cricbuzz earlier on condition of anonymity, said Nazmul would regularly call players after such comments and ask them not to take it personally, explaining that the statements were meant to pacify the media rather than reflect his true views. Shakib, the cricketer added, understood this dynamic better than most and handled it through much of his career, aware that the public posturing was largely theatrical.