Shakib Al Hasan has apologised for his silence during the protests in Bangladesh in July, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. It is the first time that Shakib has spoken about the student-led movement which brought the fall of the longstanding Awami League-led government – in which he was a member of parliament (MP).
“Firstly, I would like to pay my respects to all the students who sacrificed their lives, led the anti-discrimination movement, and were martyred or injured during the people’s uprising,” Shakib wrote on Facebook.
“I extend my deepest respect and condolences to them and their families. While no sacrifice can compensate for the loss of a loved one, nothing can fill the void of losing a child or a brother, to those of you who were hurt by my silence during this critical period, I respect your feelings and sincerely apologise. If I were in your place, I too might have been upset.”
Shakib was plying his trade in the Global T20 Canada league when violence errupted in Bangladesh in July. During a match in early August, Shakib argued with a fan who had asked him about his silence on the trouble back home.
Shakib is arguably Bangladesh’s biggest cricket star, a larger-than-life figure, so his silence rankled the youth of the country. It didn’t help that he was named in a murder case related to the protests, along with 146 other Awami League leaders, while he was playing the first Test against Pakistan.
On 26 September, Shakib, who lives in the USA with his family, announced his retirement from Tests. He said if the authorities could guarantee his safe entry and exit from Bangladesh, he wanted to bow out of the longest format with his last Test in Dhaka, against South Africa from 21 October.
He had not been in the country since the T20 World Cup in June, having joined the squads directly in Pakistan and India. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed said they could not guarantee him the security he wanted, but there were positive signals at the government level. Sports adviser Asif Mahmud said the government would provide him with security, but Shakib needed to explain his political stance to the fans.
In his long Facebook post, Shakib spoke of why he had joined politics last year. He was nominated by Awami League, and went on to win comfortably from the Magura-1 constituency.
“I was briefly the member of parliament from the Magura-1 constituency. My political involvement was primarily driven by my desire to contribute to the development of my hometown Magura. As you know, it is difficult to directly impact the development of one’s area without a specific role in Bangladesh.
“My wish to develop this area is what motivated me to become an MP. However, at the end of the day, my primary identity is as a cricketer for Bangladesh. No matter where I have been or in what position, I have always carried cricket in my heart.”
Shakib paid tribute to his fans in the concluded part of the post. “You all know that I will soon be playing my last match… I want to say goodbye with all of you around. At the moment of farewell, I want to shake hands with those whose applause compelled me to play better. I want to meet the eyes of those who cheered in joy when I played well and whose eyes welled up with tears when I did not. I believe that at this farewell moment, you will all be with me. Together, we will close the story that, in truth, stars not me, but all of you.”
