Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan announced his decision to retire from international cricket ahead of the second Test of the tour of India, to be played in Kanpur. Shakib stated that he wanted to play his final Test in front of a home crowd during Bangladesh’s forthcoming series against South Africa, but that is a situation which remains contingent on external factors following the unrest in his native country in recent months.

Shedding more light on whether or not the 37-year-old could play his final match at his home ground in Mirpur during that series against South Africa, BCB president Faruque Ahmed was practical and made clear that it was a situation that didn’t lie in the BCB’s hands.

Speaking in a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Ahmed was upfront about the pieces that would need to fall into place for that to occur.

“We don’t have it in our hands. The security needs to come from the government and he will have to take his own decision. We cannot say anything about his security. We don’t have the ability to provide security to any individual,” Faruque commented in reference to Shakib. The all-rounder was named as one of the accused in an alleged murder case during the protests and unrest in Bangladesh.

“I am neither an agency nor police or the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). The security issue needs to be cleared by the government because from the board we cannot say anything,” continued Faruque Ahmed. “Shakib is going through a tough time personally so we cannot say much from our side. Like him, even I think that if he can play his last Test here, there cannot be anything better than that. But his security issues need to be assured by the higher authorities.”

‘So that I can play and feel secure…’

Shakib spoke before the Kanpur Test about how he had made his desire clear to the BCB, and had also made a plea to the government to provide backing for a singular match in Mirpur. “If there is an opportunity for me to go back to the country, Mirpur Test will be my last in Test cricket. These things has been communicated with the board and they are trying to make the best arrangement so that I can play, and feel secure,” said Shakib in a statement ahead of this match.

If things don’t go to plan, the Kanpur Test will be Shakib’s 71st and final Test match, in a career spanning 18 years, during which he established himself as one of the premier all-rounders of his generation.

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