BCB President Faruque Ahmed, hinted that Shakib Al Hasan might play his final Test match in Mirpur, reports UNB News.
Shakib's homecoming has been clouded in uncertainty. Shakib announced his retirement from test cricket a couple of days ago and expressed a desire to play his farewell match in his own country.
In normal circumstances, this wouldn’t stir any massive drama. However, Shakib’s political affiliation raised a lot of questions, making his return seem unlikely. The BCB President said that the board could not provide personal security for Shakib.
When the sports adviser of Bangladesh’s interim government, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan, said that Shakib would receive the same security afforded to all players, doubts surrounding Shakib's final test in Mirpur were further fueled.
However, when the sports adviser visited the UAE for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, he made some positive remarks regarding Shakib’s wish to retire at home.
Faruque Ahmed, the BCB boss is also optimistic about Shakib’s return for a final Test in front of a home crowd.
“There’s a good possibility that Shakib will return for his last Test,” said Mr Faruque to the media after a meeting with his BCB colleagues. He further states “As board president, my powers are limited here. Shakib’s situation is ultimately a matter for the government, involving law enforcement and high-level advisers, including the Chief Adviser, to decide.”
Faruque Ahmed assured that the board would arrange security for Shakib within stadium areas. However, the security won’t be extended outside the stadium premises.
When announcing his retirement, Shakib requested security assurances both during his time in Bangladesh and upon his departure, expressing concerns that he might encounter difficulties when leaving the country.
These concerns stemmed from the fact that Shakib participated in the 2024 election which was boycotted by opposition parties as the whole election process had some serious question marks.
bd-pratidin/Rafid
