Shakib Al Hasan to retire from T20 cricket; to retire from Test cricket after series against South Africa if given a chance
Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has announced his retirement from T20I cricket and added that if given a chance, he will retire from Tests after the upcoming Test series against South Africa. Shakib made this announcement in the press conference held today, September 26.
Shakib Al Hasan has been a match-winner for Bangladesh across all formats, with the all-rounder being a crucial part of their wins away from home. He also has led Bangladesh for some time, guiding them to a famous win over England in the 2011 ICC Men's ODI World Cup.
In the press conference held ahead of the second Test against India at the Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, Shakib made the following announcement:
"I have expressed my desire to play my last Test in Mirpur to BCB. I have told this to BCB, they agreed with me. They are trying to organise everything so that I can go to Bangladesh. If that won't happen, the match against India in Kanpur would be my last in Test cricket."
Reportedly, Shakib has been booked for murder in the ongoing political unrest that has shaken Bangladesh. If he is to be tried, the second Test of the series against India will be his last game. He also added that Bangladesh's encounter against Afghanistan in the 2024 ICC Men's T20I World Cup was his last.
Shakib Al Hasan retires as one of the greats in Bangladesh's cricket history
Shakib Al Hasan burst onto the scene as a promising all-rounder. He was ranked as the number one all-rounder in ODIs and T20Is on multiple occasions. The 37-year-old made his debut in Test for Bangladesh against India back in 2007 and in the 69 Tests that followed, he picked up 242 wickets and 4600 runs.
He has been an ace in the shortest format and has played 129 T20Is for the Bangla Tigers. In that format, he has picked up 149 wickets whilst scoring 2551 runs with a highest score of 84 against Pakistan back in 2012. He also had a decent captaincy record in ODIs, with Bangladesh recording 27 wins in the 62 matches he has led them.