Bangladesh Captain Najmul Shanto: 'Shakib Bhai's Situation is a Separate Matter' amidst Murder FIR Discussions at Home

New Delhi: Following a dominant victory over Pakistan in a Test series, Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain expressed his full support for teammate Shakib Al Hasan amidst murder accusations. Hossain declared that upon the team's return to Bangladesh, every player will stand by the all-rounder if any discussions arise regarding the allegations. He praised Shakib's unwavering passion and commitment to the team, highlighting his invaluable contributions on and off the field.

Rafiqul Islam was the one who filed the case of his son’s murder at Dhaka’s Adabor police station amid the political turmoil in the country. The police filed charges against 147 people, including Shakib, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has since fled the country and other lawmakers.

Shakib won’t be in Bangladesh when Chief Advisor of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus, hosts the celebrations of their Test series win over Pakistan as he will be playing county cricket.

“The matter of Shakib Bhai is a different issue,” Hossain told reporters after arrival from Pakistan, as quoted by Cricbuzz. “However, every player supports Shakib Bhai. We all know how dedicated he is to playing and how passionate he is about the game. He always thinks of the team first. If the issue is discussed with the Chief Advisor during the reception, every player will be on the side of Shakib.”

Although the ICC’s law states that national teams can’t find players with criminal charges, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has not heeded it yet, citing that the Sheikh Hasina government, participated in both Tests against Pakistan and will now play one game for Surret in the County Championship.

Hossain also said Bangladesh are getting so much confidence from their win in the Test series against Pakistan and will now work on a new plan to counter India in another series in September.

“Every cricketer will gain confidence from such a series win. The team’s morale will be boosted. The series against India will definitely be challenging, and we need to come up with a new plan. If we give our best performance, we can achieve good results,” said Nazmul.

The first Test match between India and Bangladesh will begin on September 19.