Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Chairman Faruque Ahmed has made a strong statement saying that the board cannot guarantee Shakib Al Hasan’s safety when he returns to Bangladesh because it is not in their hands.
Shakib Al Hasan earlier in the day confirmed his retirement from Test and T20I cricket. He said he had already played his last T20I during the 2024 T20 World Cup and will play his last Test in Dhaka against South Africa in October if he gets the chance.
However, Shakib Al Hasan has made it clear that if he does not get a chance to play the Test match against South Africa at home, then the second Test against India at the Green Park in Kanpur would be the last for the nation.
Speaking to reporters, Shakib Al Hasan said that he is concerned about his safety and therefore needs the management to guarantee him that after playing the match against South Africa, he will be able to leave the country.
However, BCB president Faruque Ahmed has denied taking any responsibility for Shakib Al Hasan’s safety. After a four-hour board meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Faruque Ahmed said that the Bangladesh government will have to provide security to the star all-rounder as the BCB cannot do anything.
“It is not in our hands (Shakib’s security). Security has to come from the government and he will have to take his own decisions. We cannot say anything about his security. We do not have the capacity to provide security to any individual,” Faruque told reporters, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
“I am not an agency, nor the police, nor the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)” – Faruque Ahmed on Shakib Al Hasan’s security
Faruque Ahmed further said that they would be happy to see Shakib Al Hasan play his last Test match at home but the higher authorities must provide him security. He also said that the BCB cannot arrange any exit plan for the all-rounder to leave the country without the government’s permission.
“I am not an agency, nor a police force, nor a Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The issue of security must be clarified by the government, because the junta cannot say anything.”
“Shakib is going through a tough time personally, so we cannot say much from our side. Like him, even I believe that if he can play his last Test from here, it cannot be anything better than that, but his security matters must be ensured by the higher authorities.
“He is going through a difficult time. He feels that it is the right time to play his last match and we have respected his decision.”
The reason Shakib Al Hasan is facing all these problems is that he was a member of parliament in the fallen Awami League-led government, and was also named in a murder case related to the protests.
If we talk about Shakib’s international career, he is unarguably the best Bangladeshi-born cricketer. He has so far played 70 Test matches, 247 ODIs and 129 T20Is for the Bangladesh national cricket team, scoring 4600, 7570 and 2551 runs and taking 242, 317 and 149 wickets respectively.