Shakib makes shocking retirement reversal from Test and T20 Cricket, saying he wants to play a full series across formats in Bangladesh.
‘I am officially not retired from all formats’ – Shakib reverses Test and T20I retirement.
Shakib Al Hasan, the former captain of Bangladesh, has stated that he wants to play in all three formats and has reversed his retirement from Tests and Twenty20 Internationals. Shakib declared his retirement from Tests and Twenty20 Internationals last year, and he hasn’t played for his country in more than a year.
“I am officially not retired from all formats,” Shakib said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, which features Moeen Ali, on Sunday. “This is the first time I’ll be revealing that. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, Test, and T20, and retire.
“I mean, [I can] retire from all formats in a series. So it can start from T20I, ODI and Test, or Test, ODI, T20I. Either way, I’m fine, but I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.”
Since the Awami League administration was overthrown on August 5, 2024, Shakib has not been back in Bangladesh. Shakib represented the party as an MP. Despite not being in the nation at the time, he was mentioned in a formal complaint regarding an alleged murder. After that, he played Test matches in India and Pakistan. His final international match was the second Test match against India in Kanpur.
When asked whether he will return to Bangladesh, Shakib said, “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing [T20 leagues]. I think it will happen.”
Shakib further said that he will not be burdened by results and he wants to “give something back to the fans” for years of support in a home series.
“I think when a player says something, they try to stick to their words,” he said. “They normally don’t change it all of a sudden. It doesn’t matter if I play well or not. I might play a bad series after that, if I want to play. But I don’t need to do that.
“I think this is enough. It’s just a nicer way to say bye to the fans that they supported me always, give something back to them, playing a home series.”