Shakib to continue playing until proven guilty
Both the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Shakib Al Hasan were under some pressure with the murder case filed against the former Bangladesh skipper and world no. 1 all-rounder and the subsequent legal notice to bring him back from Pakistan where the team is touring.
The pressure will remain until the case is settled. However, the BCB has decided to provide legal assistance to Shakib Al Hasan as he is a national player under contract and is touring Pakistan as an important member of the team.
“We have stuck to our previous decision regarding Shakib. He will continue playing. We also said the same in response to the legal notice we were served regarding bringing back Shakib to the country,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed told Prothom Alo over the phone.
The BCB chief further said, “The allegation brought against Shakib is still at the FIR level. There are several steps after that. We will continue to let him play until he is proven guilty. The team will move to India after the Pakistan series. We want Shakib to be a part of the team there too.”
The board president said that Shakib Al Hasan would get legal assistance from the BCB. He said, “He is one of our players under contract. Therefore, we will provide legal assistance to him if it’s needed.
The second Test of the series will start from 30 August in Rawalpindi. The team will return to the country on 4 September. After that, the Bangladesh team will fly to India on 15 September to play two Tests and three T20 matches.
However, Shakib will not return to the country in between. He will leave for England to play County Cricket for Surrey. The BCB has already given him the NOC (no objection certificate) for that, Faruque Ahmed confirmed.
Former Awami League lawmaker Shakib Al Hasan was named among the accused along with former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others in a murder case filed on charges of the killing of a garment worker, Md. Rubel, in the capital’s Adabar on 5 August.
Rubel’s father Rafiqul Islam lodged the case as the plaintiff.
Shakib Hasan went abroad long before the start of the job quota reform movement. He was playing in the Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US during the movement. Later, he was busy with the Global T20 League held in Canada during the fall of the Sheikh Hasina led government.
Earlier, the BCB was served a legal notice by a lawyer to oust Shakib Al Hasan from the national team and to bring him back to the country as he was accused in a murder case. The BCB responded boldly to that notice through lawyers Tuesday.
Shakib had vital contributions in the team’s historic 10-wicket-win against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The ace all-rounder took three important wickets in the fourth innings of the match.