Shakib Al Hasan to continue playing for Bangladesh until proven guilty in ongoing murder case

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced that star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will continue to represent the national team despite being named in a First Information Report (FIR) related to a murder case.

The controversy arose when Shakib was involved in an FIR during a period of civil unrest in Bangladesh. Following this development, legal pressure forced BCB to take action. Shajib Mahmood Alam, a Supreme Court lawyer, sent a legal notice to the board demanding Shakib's immediate removal from all forms of cricket, citing International Cricket Council (ICC) rules. Despite the legal challenges, the BCB has taken a firm stance. 

"He [Shakib] will continue playing. We received a legal notice regarding bringing him back and we replied them saying this [that he will continue to play]," BCB president Faruque Ahmed was quoted in a leading Bengali Daily Prothom Alo.

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We have given Shakib Al Hasan an NOC to play for Surrey: BCB official

The BCB's position is that the FIR is in its initial stages and does not constitute proof of guilt. Furthermore, the board has expressed its intention to provide legal assistance to Shakib Al Hasan if necessary,

"Right now the FIR is filed and it is in the initial stage and there are lot of steps after this and until he is proven guilty we will make him play. The Bangladesh team will go to India after the Pakistan series and we want him in that series as well. He is our contracted player and if necessary we will give him legal assistance," he added.

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The board has granted him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play for Surrey in a County game against Somerset in England from September 9 to 12 and will then join the national team for two Tests and three T20Is against India.

"He [Shakib] has not played red-ball cricket for a while and that is why we have given him an NOC to play for Surrey as it will help him to adjust with red-ball cricket more than anything else," a BCB official told Cricbuzz.