Shakib Al Hasan reverses retirement, eyes all-formats home series before farewell

London [UK], December 8 (ANI): Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has withdrawn his retirement from Test and T20I cricket, expressing his desire to represent the national team across all three formats, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Shakib, who has been away from international cricket for over a year, announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is last year.

"I am officially not retired from all formats. 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," Shakib said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast, which features Moeen Ali, as per ESPNcricinfo.

"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," Shakib added.

Shakib Al Hasan has not returned to Bangladesh since May 2024, following the ousting of the Awami League government on August 5. A former MP for the party, Shakib, was named in an FIR in an alleged murder case, though he was not in the country at the time. He subsequently played Test matches in Pakistan and India, with the second Test against India in Kanpur marking his most recent international appearance.

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 Al Hasan said he wants to play a home series as a respectful farewell to fans, regardless of his performance, to give back to those who have supported him.

"I think when a player says something, they try to stick to their words. 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," Shakib concluded. (ANI)

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