Shakib Al Hasan announced his retirement from T20I cricket on Thursday, and also confirmed that he will hang his boots from Tests after Bangladesh’s first game against South Africa in Dhaka next month.
While he wishes to call it quits in front of the home crowd, it also depends on whether the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) can ensure ‘absolute security’ for him as he returns home for the first time since the fall of the Awami League government, of which he was a part.
“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,” Shakib, an erstwhile Member of the Parliament, said.
“I am a citizen of Bangladesh, so I shouldn’t have any problem going back to Bangladesh,” he said. “My concern is my safety and security in Bangladesh. My close friends and family members are concerned. I hope things are getting better. There should be a solution to it,” he added.
Amid the political turmoil in Bangladesh, Shakib was among 147 people named in a murder case in Dhaka last month. “It has been tough for me. Only Allah knows how I am focused on the game. Even I don’t know. There is a case against me. Everyone has the rights. You all know what type of case it is or where I was and what I was doing at that time. I don’t want to talk much about it,” he said.
Shahryar Nafees, the in-charge of BCB’s cricket operations, however, said recently that the country’s caretaker government had clarified that Shakib would not be ‘harassed’ upon his return to Bangladesh. However, in case things don’t work out as planned, the second Test against India could be his last outing in whites.
Claiming that his decision was a much-deliberated one, a rather emotional Shakib said, “This is the right time to bring in new players. It’s the same vision for T20Is as well. I have spoken to the chief selector and the BCB president and we all felt that this was the right time to move on and allow new players to come up the ranks in the upcoming series...”
Shakib, though, will continue to play in franchise leagues and does not rule out a return to the national fold. “But for now, you can say that I am moving on from both the formats. In case, I perform well in the T20 leagues and the BCB feels that they need me in the team for a certain time, then we can consider. But for now, this is it,” Shakib added.
While he admitted that there’s ‘nothing to look forward to’ at the moment, Shakib said that with the focus on the 2026 T20 World Cup, the BCB should look at bringing in newer talents and helping the team grow.
“It’s an unanimous decision and I think I have played my last match in T20Is during the last game of the World Cup earlier this year,” Shakib said, adding that while he will be available for next year’s Champions Trophy, he will take a call on his ODI future post the tournament depending on his fitness levels.
One of the legends of the game, Shakib has featured in 70 Tests so far in his long career, along with 247 ODIs and 129 T20Is. He led Bangladesh for a long time and also left a mark as one of the genuine all-rounders.
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