Bangladesh cricket was hit with a big blow after premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was accused of murder during the political turmoil which the country experienced earlier this month, which led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina from the role of Prime Minister. As per an Al Jazeera report, the father of one of the students who lost his life in the protest against the government accused the 37-year-old cricketer of murder and also filed a case against him and 155 others earlier this month. For the uninitiated, Shakib Al Hasan is a former Member of the Parliament for Magura-1, for the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League. Bangladesh Cricket Board Receives Legal Notice Seeking Removal of Murder-Accused Shakib Al Hasan From PAK vs BAN Test Series Squad: Report.

During Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 1st Test match in Rawalpindi, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) received a legal notice which sought the removal of the all-rounder from the national team and called for his immediate return to expedite the legal proceedings. But newly-elected BCB president Faruque Ahmed opened up on this incident and said that Shakib Al Hasan would continue playing unless he is proven guilty in the murder case. Prothom Alo, a Bangladesh daily, quoted Ahmed saying, "He [Shakib] will continue playing. We received a legal notice regarding bringing him back and we replied them saying this (that he will keep playing)."

"Right now the FIR is filed and it is in the initial stage and there are lot of steps after this and until he is proven guilty we will make him play. The Bangladesh team will go to India after the Pakistan series and we want him in that series as well," he added. The BCB president also said that the cricket board will provide legal assistance to the cricketer in this case. Pakistan, Bangladesh Lose World Test Championship Points Due to Slow Over-Rate in Rawalpindi Test; Shakib Al Hasan Fined for Breaching Code of Conduct.

Shakib Al Hasan found support from his teammates, who backed him against these 'false allegations'. Meanwhile, the 37-year-old veteran's return to Bangladesh has been delayed further, with him reportedly getting a NOC (No Objection Certificate) to play county cricket for Surrey.  A Cricbuzz report states that he will fly straight to England after the Test series against Pakistan and this stint, the BCB hopes, will help him get acclimatised to red-ball cricket ahead of the Tests against India in September.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 28, 2024 06:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).