(PTI Photo)
Following his mention in a First Information Report (FIR) connected to a murder case amid the recent violent protests in Bangladesh, veteran cricketer Shakib al Hasan will remain active in international cricket, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
As reported by Cricbuzz, the BCB President affirmed that Shakib would continue to play for the national team. This decision comes despite a legal notice from a Supreme Court lawyer, who argued that Shakib should be excluded from the team due to his involvement in the case, referencing International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations.
“He (Shakib) will continue playing. We received a legal notice regarding bringing him back and we replied to them saying this [that he will continue to play],” the BCB president Faruque Ahmed was quoted in a leading Bengali Daily Prothom Alo on Tuesday.
The BCB President announced that Shakib will remain in the squad and continue playing until a court determines his guilt. He also confirmed that Shakib will be included in the team for the upcoming tour of India next month.
He said, “Right now the FIR is filed and it is in the initial stage and there are a lot of steps after this and until he is proven guilty we will make him play. The Bangladesh team will go to India after the Pakistan series and we want him in that series as well.
He is our contracted player and if necessary we will give him legal assistance,” he added.
Instead of returning to Bangladesh following the Pakistan tour, the all-rounder will head to England to participate in a four-day match for Surrey. The BCB has issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for this engagement.
“He has not played red-ball cricket for a while and that is why we have given him an NOC to play for Surrey as it will help him to adjust with red-ball cricket more than anything else,” a BCB official was quoted by Cricbuzz.
Shakib was instrumental in Bangladesh’s landmark victory over Pakistan in Rawalpindi, securing three crucial wickets and bowling 16 consecutive overs in the final innings to ensure the win for his team.
Bangladesh is scheduled to tour India next, where they will compete in a two-match Test series, followed by a three-match T20I series.
