Bangladesh star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan is set to return home to play his final Test match in Mirpur, starting October 21, amid growing protests against him. However, concerns about his safety linger for this connection with the previous government which was ousted by an unprecedented student-citizen movement in August. Recently, a group of student protesters displayed graffiti expressing anger toward Shakib for his actions during the protests in July and August, during which, according to protesters, more than 1,500 people were killed. They also conducted wall-writing expressing anger to Shakib at the cricket stadium area in Mirpur. The protesters said they do not want Shakib to wear Bangladesh’s jersey again, citing his association with the “fascist government”—a reference to the previous administration led by Sheikh Hasina. Shakib Al Hasan ‘sorry for silence’ during student movement On Sunday, Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud said he sees no obstacles to Shakib’s return or his participation in the Test match. “He is a cricketer, he will play, and he is a citizen of Bangladesh. I don’t see any obstacle to his homecoming. The responsibility of the state is to ensure the safety of every citizen, including the cricket team. We will ensure that,” said Asif Mahmud while speaking to the media on Sunday.