Suspended Sabbir Rahman was recalled due to miscommunication: BCB president Nazmul Hassan

The BCB had suspended Sabbir Rahman for six months from international cricket in September for abusing a fan on social media. @ AFP

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said that Sabbir Rahman was recalled to the ODI side for the New Zealand tour due to a miscommunication with the middle-order batsman still left to serve his six-month suspension.

"I asked about his suspension when I was about to sign off on the [squad] list. They told me that his suspension is over. Maybe they mis-spoke, but I didn't ask them," Hassan was quoted as saying in ESPNCricinfo on Tuesday, although he didn't mention who had given him the wrong information. (ALSO READ: Bangladesh recall Sabbir Rahman, Taskin Ahmed for New Zealand series)

The BCB had suspended Sabbir for six months from international cricket in September for abusing a fan on social media. But chief selector Minhajul Abedin said the BCB had informed them that Sabbir's suspension would be lifted at the end of the month, making him eligible for the New Zealand ODI series.

The BCB's disciplinary committee had suggested Sabbir s punishment on September 1 which meant that his ban would be over on February 28, and by that time the series against New Zealand would be completed.

Hassan believes that captain Mashrafe Mortaza and coach Steve Rhodes want him to be in the side to pick him for the ICC World Cup 2019.

"I have been completely off from involving myself in team and squad matters in the last three months. I am not interfering at all. I think the captain and coach wanted Sabbir in the squad," he said. (ALSO READ: Selectors sole authority, never said they must pick Sabbir: Mortaza)

"They have been saying that if he does well [in New Zealand], he could have a chance to play in the World Cup.

"It is not clear whether he will get to play matches in this series. Maybe they want to fix his sentiment and mentality during this tour. It could be that they want to test him in [New Zealand] conditions. Otherwise, I don't see any other reason to take him 15-20 days before [his suspension ends]. I think his performance was also a factor, which perhaps excited them [captain and coach]."

If Sabbir s punishment ended prematurely, Hassan reckoned that it would only put the middle-order batsman under more pressure. "I have had to field a lot of requests to bring him back after his suspension. We usually don't heed such requests. But usually people tend to believe that he [Sabbir] has perhaps changed for the better.

"This is his last chance. If he does the same thing again, he will get a life ban. I felt that maybe he would have done better had he taken more time to return. Now it is very risky for him. A small mistake can destroy his career," he said.