Photo Credit: Instagram Photo of @shaki_b75
Hours after Shakib Al Hasan expressed his desire to retire from Test cricket following the first match against South Africa in Mirpur next month, citing a need for a “secure passage” to leave the country, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) clarified that it lacks the authority to provide such guarantees.
“It’s up to the interim government to decide,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed stated.
Ahmed explained that the BCB is a sports governing body and does not have the power to offer security assurances.
“At the most, we can request the government to consider the matter, but we can’t really promise anything,” he added. Ahmed recently took over as BCB president after Najmul Hasan Papon’s resignation.
Earlier that day, Shakib made headlines during a press conference before the second Test against India by announcing his intention to retire from Test and T20I formats. “I have informed the BCB about my wish to end my Test career in Mirpur, and they’ve agreed in principle. They are also trying to arrange everything, so that I can play my last Test at home feeling safe. They have assured me that they will work in tandem with all the authorities and let me know their decision soon so that I can not only play freely but also can leave the country safely, post the series,” said Shakib, a former Member of Parliament.
Amid ongoing political turmoil in Bangladesh, Shakib was named among 147 individuals in a murder case in Dhaka last month. Although Shahryar Nafees, in charge of BCB’s cricket operations, recently indicated that the caretaker government assured Shakib would not face harassment upon his return, the BCB president stated that the decision ultimately rests with Shakib.
“The murder case is still sub-judice, and it is not possible for the BCB to do anything in this regard, since we are not a party to it,” Ahmed noted. “I had long conversations with Shakib over the last couple of days and I told him the same thing. While we unanimously decided that we should now look at youngsters and groom them, ultimately Shakib will have to decide if he wants to play his last game in Bangladesh. We will try and put in a word to the interim government, but we really cannot do anything beyond that…”
Sources confirmed that Shakib has communicated to the current regime that he intends to play only one Test match in Bangladesh before relocating to the U.S. to be with his family. However, with the BCB distancing itself from the situation, the upcoming Kanpur Test may mark Shakib’s final appearance in red-ball cricket.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
