The questions seem to be buzzing at the moment on the cricketing landscape of the country but one thing looks certain: the all-rounder is unlikely to return home anytime soon.
Shakib, the former Awami League law-maker who has been staying abroad since Sheikh Hasina fled away from the country after being ousted during the student movement on 5 August 2024.
Shakib always had the fear that he would be harassed by the law enforcement agencies once he returned home due to political identity and the arrest warrant only validates his apprehension.
Did it come as a surprise or was such an end imminent for Shakib? Did he pay the price of his ambitions? These questions certainly turned out to be the topic of hot debate since the problematic child of Bangladesh cricket, expressed his desire to play the last Test at home while announcing his retirement from T20 cricket.
It seemed to be Bangladesh cricket’s biggest loss given the way he performed during his 18-year-long illustrious career that also received a huge blow after Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) revealed that the left-arm spinner remains suspended from bowling in all competitions after failing an independent reassessment test conducted at the Sri Ramachandra Centre for Sports Science in Chennai, India last month.
Shakib had given a reassessment at Chennai on 21 December after failing to pass the initial tests at UK’s Loughborough University late last year, after he was reported for a suspect action during an English county match in September.
Shakib had been an eternal dilemma for Bangladesh cricket and his off-field controversies certainly hogged the spotlight for a majority of his cricketing journey – whether it was earning a ban from ICC for not reporting corrupt approaches or inking a deal with a betting company against the BCB rules, or his angry outbursts in domestic cricket.
BCB and Shakib have shared a strange relationship, and the board has often failed to handle its problematic superstar. Over the last few years, Shakib’s priorities also changed from time to time as his business interests have evolved, and so has his desire to have a political career. But there is a price for everything and in Shakib’s case, it was his cricket career in the national jersey or in any domestic tournament played under the jurisdiction of BCB.
It is unclear what will be his next move but if insiders are to be believed he is not losing his sleep over anything, a trademark persona he carried all through his life both on and off the field.
