Shakib will play for Bangladesh

 Shakib will play for Bangladesh until his culpability in the murder case is established.

Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan will carry on as a player. © AFP

All-rounder Shakib al Hasan, who was mentioned in a First Information Report (FIR) in a murder case during the unrest in Bangladesh, will continue to play cricket and represent his country until he is found guilty, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on Tuesday, August 27.

Following the first Test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, the BCB leadership had earlier said they will make a decision regarding Shakib's future involvement. In response to the allegation, Supreme Court attorney Shajib Mahmood Alam submitted a legal notice to the BCB on behalf of Advocate Md Rafinur Rahman on Saturday via email and registered mail, requesting that Shakib be immediately removed from all "forms" of cricket.

According to the notice obtained and viewed by Cricbuzz, Shakib is unable to continue playing for the national team of cricket since he has been mentioned in a case, as per the regulations set down by the International Cricket Council.

Shakib's prompt return to Bangladesh is also requested in the notification in order to facilitate the investigation's rapid advancement. It further requests that the ICC be informed of this development.

"Shakib will carry on with his playing. "We responded to a legal notice that asked for his return by saying that he would keep playing," BCB president Faruque Ahmed was cited in a prominent Bengali Daily Prothom Alo on Tuesday.

"At this time, the FIR has been filed; it is in its preliminary phase. Numerous stages will follow, and we will not allow him to play until he is found guilty. Following the Pakistan series, the Bangladesh team will travel to India, and we would like him to play in that series as well.

"He is our contracted player and if necessary we will give him legal assistance," he stated.


Shakib, meanwhile, would not travel back home with the Bangladeshi squad following the Test series with Pakistan."He [Shakib] has not played red-ball cricket for a while and that is why we have given him a NOC to play for Surrey as it will help him to adjust with red-ball cricket more than anything else," a BCB official told Cricbuzz on Tuesday.

The all-rounder is expected to join the national team in India following his time in County cricket. The game between Surrey and Somerset is slated for September 9–12. Beginning on September 19, Bangladesh is slated to play three Twenty20 Internationals and two Tests in India.