Star all-rounder withdraws retirement from Test and T20I cricket, makes sudden big announcement

Dhaka (The Uttam Hindu): Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has announced that he is withdrawing his retirement from Test and T20 International cricket. He confirmed that he now wants to play in all three formats. Last year, Shakib had declared his retirement from Tests and T20Is, and he has not played any international match for the past year.

Speaking on a podcast, Shakib said that he has not officially retired from any format. “This is the first time I’m revealing it. My plan is to return to Bangladesh, play a full series of ODIs, Tests and T20s, and then retire,” he said. Shakib added that he could retire from all formats afterward, but he wants to complete one full series before making that decision.

Shakib has not returned to Bangladesh since May 2024. On August 5, massive student protests erupted in the country, after which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had to leave, and the Awami League government collapsed. Shakib, who was an Awami League MP, was also booked in an FIR on murder charges, even though he was not in the country at the time. His last international match was the Test against India in Kanpur.

Shakib is considered one of the best all-rounders in world cricket. He has scored 4,609 runs and taken 246 wickets in Test cricket. In ODIs, he has scored 7,570 runs and taken 317 wickets. His T20I record is also impressive with 2,551 runs and 149 wickets in 129 matches.