Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said that it is unfortunate that Shakib Al Hasan cannot play the Test series against South Africa starting on October 21 in Dhaka. Bangladesh's interim government advised Shakib, who was a member of the government toppled by a student-citizen movement in August, not to come to the country now due to the security threat posed by the protesters. Bangladesh's new coach urges Tigers to focus on cricket amid chaos “It’s unfortunate,” Shanto said about Shakib’s absence in the Dhaka Test, which he said would be his last appearance in the longer format of the game. “It should have happened. But we all know why it didn't happen.” The Bangladesh captain also said they are now focusing solely on cricket. “I would say that it was unfortunate, it should have happened (Shakib’s participation in the Dhaka Test). But we all know why it didn't happen. But we don’t want to talk much about it before a Test match. I want everyone to focus on cricket.” Bangladesh captain also said it is difficult for Bangladesh to set up a combination when Shakib is not available. Anger against Shakib not unwarranted: Asif Nazrul “We can use an extra bowler or batter (when Shakib plays). But we cannot do anything talking about it much. What we can do is to focus on cricket,” Shanto added. Bangladesh played 14 Tests against the Proteas but never won. But this time, Shanto says, the result can be changed if they can play according to plan and execute their game well on the field.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) added Hasan Murad to the Test squad for the first match of the two-Test series against South Africa, starting on October 21. Hasan Murad, a left-arm spinner, replaces Shakib Al Hasan, who could not return home to play the match in Dhaka due to concerns for his safety from public anger. BCB terminates Hathurusinghe's contract; appoints Phil Simmons head coach Shakib was a member of the previous government toppled by the student movement in August. The 23-year-old Murad has taken 136 wickets in 30 first class matches since his debut in 2021. “We have been informed that Shakib is unavailable for the first Test,” Chairman BCB Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the BCB selection committee, said. “He is at the end of his Test career, but along with his experience, we still do not have someone of that calibre with both bat and the ball to replace him.” He also added that Hasan Murad’s first-class history indicates that he can do well at home as a spinner. ‘Wished for Shakib’s retirement on home soil': Adviser Asif Bangladesh squad for Dhaka Test vs South Africa: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (WK), Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad,

Amidst concerns over facing possible public anger for his role in the student-led protests that ousted Bangladesh’s iron-fisted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan said he is not coming home to play a Test match in Dhaka, which he said his last match in the format.  This made the last Test of the series between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur the last Test of Shakib’s career.  Before that match in Kanpur, Shakib announced his retirement from the longest format of international cricket and expressed his desire to play his last Test in front of the home crowd in Dhaka. But this wish is about to remain unfulfilled.  In an interview with bdnews24 from Dubai, Shakib—on a transit stop during his journey back—addressed his change of plans. “I was supposed to return home, but now I might not be able to do so due to security issues, for my own safety,” he said. It’s clear that Shakib was forced to cancel his plan due to ongoing protests about his homecoming. A group of protesting students burned his effigy on Wednesday at the University of Dhaka. Another group planned to submit a letter to BCB urging them to prevent Shakib from entering the stadium. Shakib's silence during the student-led protest against the Sheikh Hasina government led to this situation. The toppled administration led by Sheikh Hasina tried to quell the protest using deadly weapons that eventually left at least 1000 killed.  Shakib’s homecoming in limbo as protest threat looms large Despite being one of the most celebrated cricketers in Bangladesh’s history, Shakib was silent during the protests, which triggered an angry reaction from the protesting students, who expected Shakib to stand by them. But Shakib, who was also a member of the Awami League government, posted his happy pictures on social media during the protests, which  fueled the anger against him.  When Shakib announced his retirement in Kanpur, he also expressed concerns about his safety if he returned home. He urged the board to ensure his safety during his stay in Dhaka. But the board and the sports ministry reacted in tough words. The sports ministry was led by a student leader, Asif Mahmud, who was among the top organizers of the porters. He is one of the two student leaders who were appointed as advisers in the current interim government.  Later, the sports adviser said they would ensure security for Shakib when he returned home. However, the government changed its stance in reaction to the ongoing protests against Shakib.  A high-ranking government official confirmed Wednesday night that Shakib was advised to forgo his plan to return due to the current political climate. This situation suggests that Shakib’s Test career may now have reached an unofficial end.  

After winning the toss and electing to bat first in the first ODI of the three-match series against England in Mirpur on Wednesday, Bangladesh lost four wickets for 106 runs in just 22.4 overs. The last two wickets- Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan- fell in a span of three overs and 11 runs. Both of them fell prey to spinners— Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali. Mushfqiur had a poor run in the middle once again. Before skying a catch to Mark Wood, he played 33 balls to score only 17 runs. It was a well-tossed-up delivery from Adil, Mushfqiur went for a slog sweep, but it was a half-hearted attempt. He was taken easily at the deep mid-region by Mark Wood. Mushfiuqr has only a fifty in his 10 ODI innings. Moeen dismissed Shakib in a similar manner to how Adil dismissed Mushfiqur, except for one crucial difference: Shakib was unable to make contact with the ball during his attempted slog sweep, resulting in the ball smashing into his stumps and sending one of them flying. Also read: Bangladesh opt to bat in first ODI vs England Tamim Iqbal made a steady start but was unable to maintain his momentum, while Litton Das struggled and had a brief stint on the pitch. Tamim managed to score 23 runs, while Litton fell for just 7. The pace bowling duo of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes proved to be a challenging obstacle for the Bangladesh openers.  

Bangladesh's all-rounder and captain of the Test and T20 team, Shakib Al Hasan, has joined the national team camp ahead of the three-match ODI series against England. The series is set to begin on March 1 in Dhaka. Shakib was spotted batting at the indoor facilities in Mirpur, with Tamim Iqbal also present in the nets. Although they were batting close to each other, there were no visible interactions between them. The team began preparations for the upcoming England series a few days ago, but Shakib was unable to join the camp earlier as he was with his family in the USA. Before his trip to the USA, he was playing for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League. However, he had to leave the Zalmi squad due to family issues. The strained relationship between Shakib and Tamim has garnered attention from Bangladesh's cricket followers in recent days, particularly after BCB president Nazmul Hasan publicly acknowledged it. Read more: 'When Shakib and I step onto the field, nothing else holds importance for us': Tamim Tamim faced questions about the issue at a press conference on Sunday in Mirpur, but Shakib has not made any statement about it yet. Tamim said when he and Shakib take the field wearing a Bangladesh jersey, they only focus on playing well for Bangladesh; nothing else matters to them. He, however, did not deny the authenticity of a troubled relationship with Shakib. In the upcoming series, along with three ODIs, both the teams will lock horns in a three-match T20I series. The ODI series is a part of the World Cup Super League. England are currently at number three in the points table while Bangladesh are at number six.

After Taskin Ahmed registered his career-best figures in T20Is to make the difference in Bangladesh’s first match of the ongoing T20 World Cup. The less experienced Hasan Mahmud also did well in the same match. Now, ahead of the second match of the event against South Africa, Bangladesh captain, Shakib Al Hasan said he is hoping the pacers will keep shining in the World Cup.  Bangladesh will take on South Africa on Thursday at 9 am (Bangladesh time). The Tigers will be hoping to make it two wins out of two at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground, against opponents who they beat earlier this year in their own backyard in an ODI series for the very first time. “Taskin became a leader of our team,” Shakib said in the pre-match press conference. “After Mashrafe left the national team, Taskin has improved a lot in the last couple of years. We have a great pace-bowling attack in all three formats of the game. I hope they will continue to deliver the same in the World Cup.” In the last match in Hobart, Bangladesh had to play under cold conditions, but in Sydney, they are going to get better weather. That might help the Tigers to perform in a better way as well.  In the last match in the same venue, New Zealand beat Australia after scoring a massive total of 200 runs. That indicated that the wicket of Sydney will be friendly for the batters, and winning the toss may play a big role. But Shakib didn't seem interested in the discussion of winning the toss or not. Read: T20 World Cup 2022: Taskin shines as Bangladesh register first Super 12 win “Toss is not in our hand,” Shakib replied to a question.  “Since we are looking forward to winning this match, we have to play well no matter what we do first— be it bowling or batting.”  South Africa had to share points in their first match which ended with no result due to bad weather. Now, if they lose against Bangladesh, their chance to qualify for the next phase of the event will virtually be shrunk. Shakib says that this situation will inspire South Africa to play all-attack cricket.  Bangladesh captain believes the spinner will get the extra friendly environment at the surface of Sydney. It is clear from the captain's words that Bangladesh may go with an extra spinner in the next match. In that case, Yasir Ali might have to pave the way for Mehidy Hasan Miraz.  Before this match, Bangladesh took on South Africa in seven T20Is and failed to win any of those matches. But this time, Bangladesh has a good chance, especially, after the win in the first match against the Netherlands, Tigers are pumped-up and confident to keep the winning-streak intact.     

Bangladesh T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan has asked the country's cricket community not to expect big things at the Asia Cup, starting August 27 in the UAE. Playing down his team's chances at the tournament, the all-rounder said Bangladesh played 35 T20s in the last two years and won only 13 of them. "If we can show a bit of improvement at the Asia Cup from what we have done over the last few years, it would be an achievement," Shakib told the media Monday. "One should not expect that we will make it to the final." Also read: Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022 The last time the Asia Cup was played as a T20 event was in 2106 when hosts Bangladesh finished runners-up to India. Shakib said rather than hoping to win the Asia Cup, the expectations should be about doing better in the shorter format of the game in the next four years. "We are a good team and we have done it before. And we do not have to change the way we play cricket but it is important that we use our resources properly," the all-rounder added. Bangladesh will not get the service of head coach Russell Domingo at the Asia Cup. Domingo will coach the Bangladesh team in Tests and ODIs only. Also read: T20s: Need to be like a baby learning to walk, says Shakib The BCB has appointed the former Indian cricketer Sridharan Sriram as the technical consultant (T20 head coach) for the Bangladesh T20 team. The Tigers will travel to the UAE for the upcoming Asia Cup on August 23. Six teams will play in the biggest cricketing event in Asia. In the group stage, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on August 29 and September 1.

Bangladesh T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan Saturday said Bangladesh now need to be like a baby learning to walk, take one step at a time, and then move forward in the shorter format of the game. The Tigers are now preparing for the Asia Cup, starting on August 27 in the UAE. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) already announced a squad for the event. Led by Shakib, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the initial phase of the tournament. "We played our first T20 in 2006. Since then, we could not do well in this format. We only made it to the final of the Asia Cup once," Shakib said. Read: Meet Sridharan Sriram: Bangladesh national cricket team’s new T20 technical consultant The BCB appointed Sridharan Sriram, a former Indian cricketer, as the Tigers' T20 technical consultant. He will work with the Bangladesh team until the T20 World Cup. However, Shakib said he is not expecting Sriram to do miracles overnight.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hasan said they will serve a show cause notice to all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan who recently announced a partnership with an organisation which is a part of betting site Betwinner. According to the BCB's regulations, no player can partner with an organisation whose business is related to tobacco, alcohol or betting. Shakib recently posted an image of himself on his social media page wearing a jersey of Betwinner News, an organisation of Betwinner. "I am proud to announce my new official partnership with Betwinner News!" Shakib wrote. Read:Shakib Al Hasan becomes brand ambassador of Oppo "He didn't ask for our permission," Nazmul told the reporters Thursday. "We cannot allow a player to partner with an organisation involved in betting." "We are not sure if Shakib signed a contract with such an organisation. If he had signed a contract with them, we will serve him a show cause notice." According to BCB regulations, every player needs to take the permission of the board before partnering with any organisation as an ambassador. But Shakib did not do so while teaming up with Betwinner News. The International Cricket Council banned the all-rounder in 2018 for "failing to report corrupt approaches." He accepted three charges relating to requests for "inside information for betting purposes." Bangladesh are now playing a three-match ODI series against hosts Zimbabwe. The series is set to begin Friday. Shakib is not part of this series. He is currently on leave for personal reasons.

Cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has sent a legal notice to telecom operator Banglalink and Jamuna Bank demanding fine for illegally using his photos and brand image for business purposes. Shakib’s lawyer Ashraful Hadi sent the notice to Banglalink Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Jamuna Bank through registered post on Sunday seeking Tk 5,80,50,000 fine from these organisations. Both the organisations have been asked to remove Shakib’s photos, brand, signature etc used in different places for business purposes within seven days. The companies have been warned of legal action for failure to follow the notice.   Also read: Shakib to skip West Indies ODIs, Zimbabwe tour According to the notice, on January 21 in 2014, a deal was signed between Shakib and Banglalink Digital Communication Ltd for using Shakib’s popular brand image on a limited scale for their business purpose. Although the deal expired on January 20, 2016, the company continued to use the brand image of the Bangladesh team cricket allrounder and then he decided to send a legal notice, said barrister Ashraful Hadi. “Jamuna Bank was also sent the notice as it’s ATM booth used Banglalink’s advertisement with Shakib’s photos. Which means Jamuna Bank has business relationship with Banglalink and they had been indirectly using his brand image illegally' ”said Ashraful hadi. Also read: “Mentally and physically unfit” Shakib to stay away from cricket: Jalal