Shakib Al Hasan set to play final Test in front of crowd following his apology for being ‘silent’ during Bangladesh protests

Dhaka: Shakib Al Hasan is set for his final Test cricket appearance in front of the home crowd as the venerable all-rounder has been named in the Bangladesh squad for the first match against South Africa, starting here on Monday.

Before the second and final Test against India in Kanpur, Shakib expressed his desire to play his final Test at home against South Africa provided the Bangladesh Cricket Board could guarantee his safety.

Khaled Ahmed is the only omission from the team that recently toured India.

Shakib has been accused of involvement in the murder of a student, but the Bangladeshi veteran was participating in a T20 league in Canada at the time of the incident.

However, Faruque Ahmed, the new BCB president, rejected Shakib’s request, saying the board was not a security agency and could not guarantee any cover for him.

Bangladesh’s interim government sports advisor Asif Mahmud said Shakib would be given security once his political stance was clear.

Shakib, in turn, issued an unconditional apology for his silence during the civil unrest in Bangladesh that resulted in the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“Firstly, I would like to pay my respects to all the students who sacrificed their lives, led the anti-discrimination movement and were martyred or injured during the popular uprising,” Shakib wrote on his official Facebook page.

“While no sacrifice can compensate for the loss of a loved one, nothing can fill the void of losing a child or a sibling. For those of you who have been hurt by my silence during this critical time, I respect your feelings and sincerely apologize. ” He also passed on a message to Bangladeshi fans.

“You all know that I will soon play my last match… I want to say goodbye to all of you around. At the moment of farewell, I want to shake hands with those whose applause forced me to play better,” he wrote.

“I want to meet the eyes of those who cheered with joy when I played well and whose eyes filled with tears when I didn’t. I believe that in this moment of farewell you will all be with me. story that actually stars not me, but all of you,” Shakib added.

Bangladesh will leave for the UAE after the two-Test series against South Africa to face Afghanistan in a three-match series.

Since Shakib is also part of the ODI squad, leaving the squad would also ensure his departure from the country.

Bangladesh squad for the first Test: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Shadman lslam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das (wk), Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana.

(This report was published as part of the automatically generated union feed. Other than the title, no edits were made to the copy by ABP Live.)