“Can’t provide an individual with personal security”: BCB president on Shakib Al Hasan’s remarks

Dhaka [Bangladesh], September 27 (ANI): Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed has claimed the board cannot provide Shakib Al Hasan “individual security” that he has asked for to play his final Test in Dhaka against South Africa in October.

On Thursday, Shakib expressed his desire to retire from the Test format on his home soil if the South Africa tour takes place.

As of now, the Proteas series in October is still tentative as Cricket South Africa is yet to give security clearance after the inspection of the venue earlier this week.

The uncertainty around the series is a result of the unrest in Bangladesh due to the massive student protest, in July and August, which led to hundreds of people being killed. As a result, Sheikh Hasina resigned as the prime minister of Bangladesh on August 5 and fled from the country.

Shakib was among 147 people named in a murder case in Dhaka last month. He became a member of the Awami League-led government in January this year. The 38-year-old asked for security assurance from the BCB and a solution to it as well during the pre-match press conference of the second Test against India in Kanpur.

Faruque responded to Shakib’s comment and said that the BCB is not a security agency and they are unable to do much about it.

“Shakib’s security is not in the board’s hand. The board can’t provide an individual with personal security. He has to take a decision on that. His security has to come from the highest level of the government,” Faruque said, as quoted from ESPNcrcinfo.

“BCB is not a security agency like the police or RAB (Rapid Action Battalion). We haven’t spoken to anyone [in the government] about him. Since his case is a sub-judice matter, so we can’t really do much about it,” he added.

Faruque also stated that he did not try to change Shakib’s mind about taking Test retirement and said, “Of course there’s going to be nothing like it, [if he plays] his last Test at home. Shakib is going through a difficult phase of his life. I didn’t try to [talk him out of the retirement]. He thought that this was the right time for him to retire. I respect his decision.”

Earlier this week, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in charge of cricket operations Shahriar Nafees asserted that Shakib won’t be “harassed unfairly” when he returns to Bangladesh for the first time since the fall of the Awami League government of which he was a part.