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Shakib Al Hasan clears air on retirement; wants to play last match in Mirpur

Rajgeeta Yadav

Shakib al Hasan [Source: AFP]Shakib al Hasan [Source: AFP]

Many thought Bangladesh star Shakib Al Hasan had retired from international cricket since he hasn’t played for the national team in nearly a year. However, Shakib has now cleared up the confusion, confirming that he has not officially retired yet. 

The 38-year-old all-rounder said he wants to play one final match for Bangladesh before officially stepping away from international cricket. He hopes to make this farewell match special by playing it at his home ground, the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Shakib’s absence from the national team has been linked to political problems in Bangladesh. He faces allegations connected to his past role as an MP for the Awami League under the former Sheikh Hasina government. His name was included in a case listing 147 people in Dhaka. These issues have prevented him from joining the team for some matches, including the 2024 Kanpur Test against India.

Shakib Al Hasan Plans final match in Mirpur before retiring

Before these political challenges, Shakib had already hinted that he was slowing down his career in certain formats. He had mentioned retiring from T20 Internationals and Tests, ending his T20 career, and stepping away from Test cricket after the 2023 Mirpur Test against South Africa. But due to the unrest in Dhaka, he had to skip some matches that followed.

Despite all this, Shakib insists he hasn’t officially retired from any format of international cricket. Speaking to Cricbuzz, he said, 

 “To be honest, I am not retired from any format officially. I think it’s more for them than it’s for me (playing in Mirpur one final time). If that happens, that’s the best thing that can happen to my fans and to me."

Notably, Shakib’s wish to end his career at Mirpur makes sense considering his remarkable record there. In Tests, he has scored 1,583 runs at an average of 43.97 and taken 76 wickets. In ODIs, he has scored 2,656 runs at 37.40 and claimed 131 wickets at 24.19. Even in T20Is, he has made 547 runs at 18.3 and taken 45 wickets at the stadium.

While dealing with political challenges back home, Shakib has been living abroad and playing in franchise cricket leagues around the world, such as the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL). 

He was last seen leading Montreal Royal Tigers in the Canada Super 60, where his team reached the finals but lost to Brampton Blitz.