Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has reversed his retirement from Tests and T20Is, expressing his wish to play across all three formats once again. Shakib, who has not played international cricket in over a year, had announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is last year.
“I am officially not retired from all formats,” Shakib said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast with Moeen Ali on Sunday. “This is the first time I’ll be revealing that. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, Test, and T20, and retire.
“I mean, [I can] retire from all formats in a series. So it can start from T20I, ODI and Test, or Test, ODI, T20I. Either way, I’m fine, but I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.”
Shakib has not returned to Bangladesh since May 2024, following the removal of the Awami League government on August 5. As an MP for that party, Shakib was named in an FIR in an alleged murder case, though he was not in the country at the time. He went on to play Tests in Pakistan and India, with the second Test against India in Kanpur marking his last international appearance.
When asked about returning to Bangladesh, Shakib said, “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing [T20 leagues]. I think it will happen.”
Shakib emphasized that he will not be burdened by results and wants to “give something back to the fans” for their years of support in a home series.
“I think when a player says something, they try to stick to their words,” he said. “They normally don’t change it all of a sudden. It doesn’t matter if I play well or not. I might play a bad series after that, if I want to play. But I don’t need to do that.
“I think this is enough. It’s just a nicer way to say bye to the fans that they supported me always, give something back to them, playing a home series.”
Ahead of the Kanpur Test in September last year, Shakib had announced he would no longer play T20Is while expressing his desire to play his final Test in the home series against South Africa that was scheduled for October.
There were protests and clashes around the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka ahead of the Test series, after which Shakib issued an apology for his silence during the student-led protests that led to hundreds of deaths in July and August.
The BCB subsequently dropped Shakib from the Tests against South Africa, citing the inability of Bangladesh’s interim government to guarantee his safe exit from the country.
Earlier this year, a BCB official stated that Shakib was welcome to return to the national team. In September, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud declared that Shakib would not be allowed to play for the country after he wished former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on her birthday.
Shakib, who was elected as an MP from his hometown Magura in January 2024, also suggested he isn’t finished with his political career. When asked about the legacy he wants to leave, he said, “[I have] done my cricketing part. Maybe political side is left. It’s something I want to do for the people of Bangladesh and people of Magura. That was my intention, and it is still my intention. Let’s see where Allah takes me.”
