Shakib Al Hasan: Not too many tears as a modern great spells retirement plans

It’s hardly a surprise that not too many tears were shed when Shakib Al Hasan, arguably the greatest cricketer from Bangladesh, called time on his T20 career on Thursday and expressed a desire to play his farewell Test against South Africa in Mirpur next month. How did things come to such a pass for the performer who had been a national icon till the other day?

 Given the 37-year-old former world No.1 allrounder’s fight with varying fitness woes for the past one year, form and an ostensible lack of hunger for donning the country’s colours anymore – it was a matter of time that he would pull out of the more demanding formats. If he had chosen to keep the ODI option live, there are no prizes for guessing that the spunky performer wants to sign off with the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan early next year.

However, both his cricketing ‘last wishes’ look like hanging by a thread – at least for now. First up, the upcoming South African tour of Bangladesh is still up in thin air as Cricket South Africa is yet to give it a security clearance but the bigger threat looms from an arrest warrant for Shakib as he has been charged with murder by the interim regime which wrested control of the country after a bloody civil unrest in July.

It will, hence, be a pity if Shakib – who always enjoyed a rockstar status at the Mirpur Stadium – does not get an opportunity to bow out in style from a format where he is up there with some of the alltime greats of the game. On the eve of Kanpur Test, he had 242 wickets and 4600 runs from 70 Tests – which makes him part of an elite club with Jacques Kallis, Kapil Dev, Daniel Vettori, Ian Botham with 240 wickets and 4500 runs.

It’s a no brainer that the man from remote Magura district, a street-smart cricketer in the most challenging of situations, is now paying the price for not being able to stay away from the desire to brush shoulders with power in the political echelons of the country. Taking the cue from Mashrafe Mortaza, his erstwhile captain, Shakib went on to become a Member of the Parliament in the Awami League government.

 ‘’There is no doubt that Shakib’s priorities have changed in the last couple of years. It would have been fine if he focused on expanding his business interests as it’s a personal call, but things changed the moment he joined politics. If he cannot have a safe passage back to Bangladesh, then his plans to turn out for a last Champions Trophy will also be in jeopardy,’’ remarked Atif Azzam, a veteran cricket writer across the border who has seen Shakib since his younger days.

Speaking after announcing his retirement in Kanpur, Shakib said: ‘’I am not hurt or disappointed. I think it is the right time to move on and create a place for the new players. I have also informed the selectors and board president that I should move on from T20Is as well. I think I have played my last T20 in the World Cup [in June]. I won't be playing the upcoming T20 series [against India and West Indies] where the new players have opportunities.

‘’I am happy with the decision. I don’t have any regrets in my life. I have enjoyed my cricket career. I think it is the right time for me and Bangladesh cricket. The board president and selectors feel that it is the right time too,’’ said Shakib, whose legacy in white ball cricket of his country, makes him nothing short of a modern great.

 When he started as a wiry tight left-arm spin bowler and lower-order batter some 18 years back, very few would have wagered for a Bangladesh cricketer scoring over 7500 runs in the 50-overs game, along 317 wickets, from 247 games. The T20 format, in which Shakib remains one of the most sought after names on the shopping list for franchise owners round the world, he has 2551 runs and 149 wickets from 129 games.

The job has been always difficult for him as despite Bangladesh having carved a reputation of being an extremely competitive side in white ball cricket, the odds have been always stacked against Shakib with a superior bowling attack of rival teams or the quality batters he bowled against. Any cricketer with may be 60% per cent of Shakib’s feats would have been accorded a royal farewell – but then Shakib didn’t quite bother to play the perfect role model at his peak.

From serving a two-year ICC ban for failing to disclose an approach by the corruptors of the game, appealing to ‘time out’ a rival batter for arriving late on the crease, arguing with umpires or kicking the stumps -  Shakib has not quite endeared himself to the cricketing community. His love-and-hate relationship with the Bangladesh cricket authorities had also created a perception of him being a difficult customer to deal with.

Such acts were quite in contrast to his personality up close, humble and always with a shy smile with known faces in the media. All said and done, Shakib Al Hasan remains an enigmatic character – a gutsy cricketer who could look his famed opponents in the eye.

 Going forward, is Bangladesh cricket ready to move on without Shakib? Only time can tell…