'Not Retired Yet' – Shakib Al Hasan Confirms He Has Not Retired from Any Format

Despite being overlooked for the recent series, Shakib Al Hasan is still confident to represent Bangladesh in the near future. Many people were speculating that Shakib would announce his retirement from international cricket soon, however, the all-rounder has quashed all the rumours. He confirmed that the Bangladesh team can still benefit from his services one last time, as he plans to bid farewell to international cricket afterwards.

"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.” said Shakib Al Hasan.

The superstar all-rounder further elaborated on his retirement plans, saying that he will retire from international cricket after playing one full series comprising ODIs, T20Is, and Tests.

"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." said Shakib Al Hasan.

Shakib Al Hasan hasn’t represented Bangladesh for quite some time. He played his last test against India in Kanpur, and afterwards, he was not selected for any of Bangladesh’s home series.

When asked whether he has plans to return to Bangladesh, the all-rounder said he is hopeful for that. This is the key reason why he is still playing leagues around the world to keep himself ready for international cricket.

"I am hopeful. That's why I'm playing [T20 leagues]. I think it will happen." said Shakib Al Hasan.

He then said that his comeback series should not be judged solely on performance, as he just wants to play it in front of the fans who have supported him over the years.

"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.” said Shakib Al Hasan.

A Perfect Way to Bid Farewell to International Cricket

He added that playing a home series is a much better way to bid farewell to international cricket. He is looking forward to it with great optimism, as it will offer him an opportunity to give something back to the fans.

"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." said Shakib Al Hasan.

The cricketing career of Shakib Al Hasan took a big hit after the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government. His political alliance with the previous prime minister damaged his reputation as a cricketer. Despite all these setbacks, he still wants to represent Bangladesh one last time, as it is the country which has given him so much in his professional career.