No ban for Shakib Al Hasan from cricket despite FIR being registered in a murder case

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has confirmed that Shakib Al Hasan will continue playing for the national team until he is proven guilty in the ongoing murder case. The veteran all-rounder has been named in the First Information Report (FIR) related to a murder case during the violent protests in Bangladesh.

Unrest in Bangladesh brought down the government earlier this month. Along with Shakib, 146 others were also found their name in the FIR report. Following the allegation, the lawyers of Rafiqul Islam, father of garment factory worker Rubel, who was killed in Dhaka's Adabor on August 5, asked the BCB to ban Shakib from all forms of cricket.

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If necessary we will give him legal assistance: BCB backs Shakib 

In response, the governing body of Bangladesh cricket said the former captain's fate would be decided after the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. According to reports, the ICC rule states that, if any cricketer is involved in a criminal case, he/she should be dropped from the national team. Meanwhile, the BCB said that the investigation is at an early stage and Shakib is yet to be proven guilty. 

"He [Shakib] will continue playing. We received a legal notice regarding bringing him back and we replied them saying this [that he will continue to play]," BCB president Faruque Ahmed was quoted in a leading Bengali Daily Prothom Alo on Tuesday (August 27).

"Right now the FIR is filed and it is in the initial stage and there are lot of steps after this and until he is proven guilty we will make him play. The Bangladesh team will go to India after the Pakistan series and we want him in that series as well. He is our contracted player and if necessary we will give him legal assistance," Faruque added. 

With the BCB allowing Shakib to continue playing, the southpaw will be in action against Pakistan in the second Test match in Rawalpindi from August 30. Notably, the Bangla Tigers won by 10 wickets in the series opener - their first-ever Test win against the Men in Green. The 37-year-old is also expected to travel to England to play a four-day match for Surrey after the Pakistan series. 

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