Bangladesh Cricket Board to take call on Shakib Al Hasan’s future after 1st Test against Pakistan

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed confirmed on Saturday (August 24) that the top cricket body of Bangladesh will decide on legendary all-rounder and former captain Shakib Al Hasan’s future after the conclusion of the ongoing first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.

37-year-old Shakib was named in a murder case filed in Bangladesh on August 22. According to a report in Cricbuzz, following the accusation, a lawyer of Bangladesh’s Supreme Court sent a legal notice to the BCB on Saturday asking for the removal of Shakib from all ‘forms’ of cricket with immediate effect.

As per the notice, since Shakib has been named in a case, he cannot be part of the national team as per ICC rules. The notice has also asked for efforts to be made to bring Shakib back to Bangladesh soon to advance the murder investigation.

Faruque, who took charge of BCB earlier this month, told reporters in Bangladesh that the board hasn’t received the legal notice. But he added that BCB will take a call on Shakib before the second Test against Pakistan, which is set to start on August 30 in Rawalpindi.

“Let me say about Shakib. A case has been lodged. We are yet to get any legal notice. FIR (first information letter) was given in the case, and later there will be an investigation, and following that, the case will move in one direction or the other,” Faruque told reporters.

“Look, now we are playing a Test match, and it is very good news that we have played well on the fourth day. Tomorrow is the fifth day, the deciding day of the Test, and I think at this point, we haven’t thought about taking a stance. After tomorrow, once the game is over, we will sit and make a decision. By this time, we will also be able to say something about the legal notice, as we will have received it by that time,” he added.

“Look, the FIR is just the first information letter, and they are yet to claim any charge as far as I know, so before that, it is difficult to take a decision. The relationship between BCB and Shakib Al Hasan is like a player and an employer, according to the contract. After tomorrow, we can think exactly after getting the legal notice and based on that. I cannot withdraw him from the middle of the Test match,” he said.

“The second Test match is from August 30, so there is a gap between the games. During this period, we can think about what can be done in this regard,” he added.