FILE IMAGE: Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan. (Sportzpics)Former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan says he hopes to return home to play a final game across all three formats before formally ending his international career. The 38-year-old said that he is not yet formally retired from all formats in international cricket.
“I am officially not retired from all formats,” Shakib said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast on Sunday.
“This is the first time I’ll be revealing this. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, test, and T20, and retire,” he added.
Shakib left the country after the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina-led government last year. The all-rounder had been a member of parliament for the Awami League led by Hasina, whose 15-year rule as prime minister ended with her fleeing to India following deadly protests.
“I mean, (I can) retire from all formats in a series … I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.”
The all-rounder has not played international cricket since his 71st Test in India last year, after which he announced his retirement from T20 Internationals.
Subsequently, Shakib had then requested to play a farewell test at home in the series against South Africa but the interim government was unable to guarantee his safety due to his political past.
The left-arm spinner said he has been playing franchise cricket around the world in the hopes he will be able to play for Bangladesh again. “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing (T20 leagues). I think it will happen,” he added.
Shakib also admitted that extreme physical fatigue forced him to intentionally resort to chucking during an English County Championship match for Surrey, which eventually led to his suspension from bowling.
“I think I was doing it a little bit intentionally because I bowled more than 70 overs in one match. I have never bowled 70 overs in a Test match in my career. I was playing that four-day match for Surrey against Somerset at Taunton and I was completely exhausted,” he said.
“I had just played back-to-back Test matches in Pakistan, which we won, and then went straight into those four-day matches. The only thing I felt the umpire could have done was at least warn me first. But it is in the rules, so they had the right. I did not complain,” added Shakib.
Shakib was banned from bowling in all competitions organised by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after his action was ruled illegal following an independent assessment at Loughborough University in December last year.
(With agency inputs)
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