• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Shakib Al Hasan Included For Farewell Match As Bangladesh Announces Squad For 1St Test Vs South Africa

Shakib Al Hasan Included For Farewell Match As Bangladesh Announces Squad For 1st Test Vs South Africa

Shakib returns in Bangladesh squad [Source: @ICC/X.Com] Shakib returns in Bangladesh squad [Source: @ICC/X.Com]

Shakib Al Hasan returns for his farewell series as Bangladesh have announced their Test squad for the series against the visiting South Africa team. This will be the last Test match for the veteran Shakib, who will retire from red-ball cricket.

There were doubts regarding Shakib Al Hasan's participation in the upcoming series Vs South Africa. He left for USA in July 2024 to play in Major League Cricket, and since then a lot has changed in the country.

A ploitical turmoil took place as the Sheikh Hasina government fell amidst student protests, and the then Prime Minister fled the country, resulting in Shakib losing his parliamentary seat. Moreover, there has been a murder case filed against the Bangladesh all-rounder and as a result, he decided not to return to Bangladesh.

However, Bangladesh's Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan confirmed that there's no obstacle for Shakib's return and the champion batter should return back safely.

Shakib will join the team practice session on Friday as the Tigers aim to inflict a series defeat on the Proteas team.

No major changes in Bangladesh squad

No major changes have taken place from the last Test series Vs India. Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the team, and the core of the squad remains the same. The only change they've made is the exclusion of pace bowler Khaled Ahmed, and barring that the squad remains the same.

On home pitches, the team looks good on paper, with a nice balance of pace and spin bowling.

Bangladesh squad for first Test Vs South Africa

Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Das, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana