Bangladesh national cricket team all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is all set to play the last Test of his career at home. As per Cricbuzz reports, it is learned that the BCB is trying its best to bring back the all-rounder for the two-match Test series against South Africa.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Shakib Al Hasan announced his retirement from Test cricket during the recently concluded series against India. He mentioned that Kanpur Test, which was the last match of the series, will be the last if he is not allowed to play in the Test series against South Africa at home.
Shakib Al Hasan, accused last month of being involved in a murder case, has flown under the radar due to political tensions in the country. Recently he also expressed concern about his safety and hence his participation in the Test series against South Africa has raised many questions.
Shakib Al Hasan has the full support of youth and sports advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain
But Shakib has the full support of youth and sports advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain. He said he wants the all-rounder to play in the game. He also mentioned that he would make sure that the player has complete security. Speaking to reporters, he had said last week:
“He (Shakib) is a player who has contributed a lot to the country. Since he wants to play his last Test match in Bangladesh, I hope he gets that opportunity. We will absolutely provide the highest level of security to our players. If there are allegations against anyone , that’s a different topic.
“I cannot comment on that as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice. However, we have already committed to ensuring the safety of Shakib Al Hasan and we will honor that commitment.”
Shakib Al Hasan will soon inform BCB if he will play or not
A Bangladesh Cricket Board official said Shakib is paying the price for joining politics. But he mentioned that they will do everything possible so that the all-rounders can play in the South Africa Tests. He mentioned that the all-rounder will communicate his decision in a couple of days. Speaking to Cricbuzz, he explained:
“Politician Shakib cannot be singled out considering that he just won the elections, but they did not last even more than six months, so how could he be punished for corruption? It is true that he is paying the price of joining a certain political party, but at the same time you have to understand that he hasn’t done much as a politician since he won the general election.
“He (Shakib) is expected to let us know in a couple of days whether he will play the two-match Test series or not.”
Also, an official said that Shakib can easily leave the country after the Test series against South Africa as Bangladesh will travel to the UAE for the ODI series against Afghanistan.
“As Shakib is part of the ODI, he may very well be in the team hotel and then leave the country to participate in the ODI series against Afghanistan,” he said.
BCB President Faruque Ahmed says Shakib Al Hasan has a good chance of retiring at home
BCB President Faruque Ahmed, who had earlier said that they could not provide any security, has now done a 180 degree turn and mentioned that they would provide security to all-rounders in and around the stadium premises. He also said: “I have had communication with Shakib and he has a good chance of retiring at home.”
Shakib is his team’s third highest run-scorer in Test cricket with 4,609 runs, including five centuries and 31 half-centuries. He He is also Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket. The left-hander has taken 246 wickets and is the only bowler from his nation to have crossed the 200-wicket mark in Tests.