Shakib Al Hasan has withdrawn his Test and T20I retirement, stating that he wishes to play all three formats again before bowing out. Shakib had signed off from both, Test cricket and T20Is last year and has not played international cricket since October 2024. Considered one of the greatest cricketer ever produced by Bangladesh, Shakib left the country after the toppling of the Sheikh Hasina-led government last year.
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 … I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.” Shakib said in a podcast. Asked if he would return to Bangladesh, he said, “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing (T20 leagues). I think it will happen.”
Shakib has not played international cricket since his 71st test in India last year, after which he announced his retirement from T20 Internationals. He then requested to play a farewell test at home in the series against South Africa but the interim government was unable to guarantee his safety due to his political past so he could not play a part. Before the recent Champions Trophy, Shakib Al Hasan failed to clear his suspect bowling action and hence he was ignored by the Bangladesh selectors for that tournament.
In a career spanning decades of cricket, Shakib has represented Bangladesh in 71 Test matches, 241 ODIs and 129 T20Is. He has amassed more than 13000 runs across three formats along with plenty of wickets with his left arm spin.
Reflecting on the test process, he added, “I went to do the test, I failed. And then I saw my test. I was like, ‘okay, so these things are happening’. Then I had to train for a couple of weeks so I went back to Surrey again and they were kind enough to help me. I did two sessions and I was back to normal. I was like, ‘it’s so easy’. Cleared to bowl again after initially failing the assessment, Shakib continues to feature in franchise cricket as he awaits a chance to return to the Bangladesh national team and retire on his own terms.
