The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said that Shakib Al Hasan will continue to play for the national team until proven guilty despite the cricketer being named in a First Information Report (FIR) related to a murder case. Shakib along with 146 others have been named in a FIR for their involvement in an alleged murder that took place during the anti-government protests in Bangladesh in August.
The BCB also recently received a legal notice against Shakib from a Supreme Court lawyer representing a man whose father was allegedly murdered, in which case the senior all-rounder has been named in the FIR. The legal notice asked for the removal of the cricketer from the Bangladesh team, as per the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rules.
BCB president Faruque Ahmed, however, has confirmed that Shakib will continue to play for Bangladesh.
“He [Shakib] will continue playing. We received a legal notice regarding bringing him back, and we replied to them,” Ahmed told newspaper Prothom Alo.
“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 provide him with legal assistance.”
Shakib will not be returning to Bangladesh after the second Test against Pakistan which ends on 3 September. He will travel to England to take part in a four-day match for Surrey. From there Shakib will return to India for a two-match series which starts on 19 September.
“He [Shakib] 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 adjust to red-ball cricket more than anything else.” The match between Surrey and Somerset is scheduled from September 9 to 12. Following his stint in county cricket, Shakib is set to rejoin the national squad in India, where Bangladesh is scheduled to play two Tests and three T20Is starting September 19," a BCB official told Cricbuzz.