"Every player will be on the side of Shakib" - Bangladesh captain on discussions of murder FIR at home
Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain declared on Thursday, September 5, that if there would be any discussions about the murder accusations on Shakib Al Hasan after the team reaches home from Pakistan, "every player" will side with the all-rounder. Hossain also lauded Shakib's passion and dedication towards the team.
One Rafiqul Islam filed the case of his son's murder at Dhaka's Adabor police station amid the political turmoil in the country. The police filed charges against 147 people, including Shakib, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has since fled the country, and other lawmakers.
Shakib won't be in Bangladesh when Chief Advisor of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, will host the celebrations of their Test series win over Pakistan as he'd be playing county cricket.
"The matter of Shakib Bhai is a different issue," Hossain told reporters after arrival from Pakistan, as quoted by Cricbuzz. "However, every player supports Shakib Bhai. We all know how dedicated he is to playing and how passionate he is about the game. He always thinks of the team first. If the issue is discussed with the Chief Advisor during the reception, every player will be on the side of Shakib."
Although the ICC's law states that national teams can't field players with criminal charges, the BCB hasn't heeded it yet, citing that the investigation is in the nascent stages. Shakib, a former lawmaker in the Sheikh Hasina government, participated in both Tests against Pakistan and will now play one game for Surrey in the County Championship.
"We need to come up with a new plan" - Bangladesh captain on series against India
Hossain also said Bangladesh are riding high on confidence after their first-ever Test series win in Pakistan and will now work on a new plan to counter India in another away series in September.
"Every cricketer will gain confidence from such a series win. The team's morale will be boosted. The series against India will definitely be challenging, and we need to come up with a new plan. If we give our best performance, we can achieve good results," Nazmul told reporters.
The first India-Bangladesh Test will begin in Chennai on September 19.