By Ian Omoro
Bangladesh senior all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has announced his retirement from Twenty20 international cricket and stated his intention to conclude his career in Test cricket after the home series against South Africa in Mirpur next month.
Ahead of his team’s second Test matchup against India at Kanpur’s Green Park Stadium, the 37-year-old all-rounder made the news on Thursday.
“In T20Is, I felt I played my last match during the last game of the World Cup. This is the right time to bring in new players. It’s the same vision for T20Is as well. I have spoken to the chief selector and the board, and we all felt that this was the right time to move on and allow BCB to look into some new players. Hopefully, they will find some great players, and we will perform well in the 2026 World Cup,” said Shakib during a press conference ahead of Friday’s second Test against India in Kanpur.
Shakib, who has played in every T20 World Cup since the competition’s inception in 2007, bid farewell to the game’s smallest format after participating in 129 T20I matches and scoring 2,551 runs at a strike rate of 121.18. Regarding bowling, he has amassed 149 wickets.
The all-rounder disclosed that although he would like to play his last Test match at the iconic Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka, in front of his home supporters, he may not be able to do so due to security concerns.
“I have expressed my desire to play my last Test in Mirpur; if that won’t happen, the second Test against India would be my last. Going back to Bangladesh is not a concern, but leaving Bangladesh once I go there is dangerous,” Shakib told reporters.
During the turmoil that resulted in the overthrow of the government, Shakib was listed as an accused in a murder case by the Adabor police station; yet, the BCB permitted him to play for the national team until he was found guilty. In addition, the board promised Shakib that if he returned to Bangladesh to play, he would not encounter any problems.
