Lawyers representing Rafiqul Islam, father of garment worker Rubel who was killed on August 5 in Dhaka’s Adabor, have formally requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to immediately suspend Shakib Al Hasan from all cricket activities. This demand follows Shakib's inclusion in an FIR related to recent riots in Bangladesh, which led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
BCB Gets A Legal Notice To Ban Shakib Al Hasan
The BCB plans to make a decision regarding Shakib after the conclusion of the Pakistan vs Bangladesh first Test in Rawalpindi, scheduled to end on Sunday. BCB President Faruque Ahmed has stated that a final decision will be made once the Test concludes. The legal notice, issued by Advocate Md Rafinur Rahman and delivered via email and registered post.
The notice obtained by Cricbuzz cites the ICC regulations that prohibit players named in criminal cases from participating in national team activities.
The notice additionally demands that Shakib Al Hasan be brought back to Bangladesh to assist with the murder case investigation and that the ICC be notified of these developments. BCB President Faruque Ahmed, after a meeting with board directors at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, confirmed that the notice has not yet been received by the board. Nevertheless, he promised that a decision on Shakib's participation will be made prior to the second Test against Pakistan, scheduled to begin on August 30 in Rawalpindi.
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"Let me say about Shakib. A case has been lodged. We are yet to get any legal notice. FIR (first information letter) was given in the case and later there will be an investigation and following that, the case will move in one direction or the other," Faruque told reporters following the meeting.
"Look, now we are playing a Test match and it is very good news that we have played well on the fourth day. Tomorrow is the fifth day, the deciding day of the Test and I think at this point, we haven't thought about taking a stance. After tomorrow, once the game is over, we will sit and take a decision. By this time, we will also be able to say something about the legal notice as we will have received it by that time," he said.
"Look, the FIR is just the first information letter and they are yet to claim any charge as far as I know, so before that, it is difficult to take a decision. The relationship between BCB and Shakib Al Hasan is like a player and an employer according to the contract. After tomorrow, we can think exactly after getting the legal notice and based on that. I cannot withdraw him from the middle of the Test match," he said.
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"The second Test match is from August 30, so there is a gap between the games. During this period, we can think about what can be done in this regard," he added.
The ICC has recently relocated the ICC T20 Women's World Cup from Bangladesh to the UAE due to the prevailing political instability in the country.
Pakistan vs Bangladesh, 1st Test
On Day 4 of the first Test in Rawalpindi, Bangladesh made a crucial late breakthrough to leave Pakistan at 23/1 in their second innings. This development followed Bangladesh's 117-run first-innings lead, highlighted by Mushfiqur Rahim’s impressive 191. Rahim's resilient innings helped Bangladesh post a commanding total of 565 on Day 4. The momentum shifted further when Shoriful Islam dismissed Saim Ayub just before stumps.
