Shakib Al Hasan outlines plans for international exit after Champions Trophy 2025

In a recent interview, Bangladeshi veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan opened up about his retirement plans, hinting that the 2025 Champions Trophy might be his last appearance on the international stage.

Shakib, known for his exceptional contributions to the Bangladesh cricket team, disclosed his intention to bid adieu to T20 internationals after the 2024 T20 World Cup, with the possibility of a sooner exit from the Test format, potentially after the upcoming ODI World Cup in India.

"The 2025 Champions Trophy for ODIs and the 2024 T20 World Cup for T20Is. Tests may be sooner. Maybe (after the World Cup)," Shakib said. "I will retire all at once, but I will stop playing each format one by one. I will announce my retirement after the 2025 Champions Trophy," Shakib said in an interview with T-Sports.

Shakib's interview was not only marked by retirement talk but also contained some revelations about his recent stint as captain. He disclosed that he had considered stepping down from the captaincy following his return from the Asia Cup. Still, conversations with the team management led him to retain his leadership role for the ongoing World Cup.

"Given the current reality, I am captain only till the World Cup. Not a day more," Shakib confessed. "I resigned from the captaincy on the 17th [of September]. I informed Papon bhai and emailed the CEO that I didn't want to be the captain. The reasons were the same when I didn't want to captain ahead of the Asia Cup. I don't think my captaincy is adding value at this stage of my career. I wanted to just bowl my ten overs, give my best in fielding, and do my batting."

Shakib's decision to continue as captain was influenced by the decision of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), coach, and team management, signifying their trust in his leadership abilities.

"[Papon] described the situation to me. A captain has to do the job on and off the field. When I learned that the BCB, coach and team management were unanimous in their decision about me, then I took the captaincy," Shakib added.

As the cricket world awaits Shakib's future moves, Bangladesh fans can catch their team in action as they prepare for the World Cup with warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and England. The tournament kicks off for Bangladesh with a clash against Afghanistan on October 7 in Dharamsala.