Speculation mounts about an outrageous one-off appearance for Surrey by the veteran Bangladesh all-rounder.
An average summer
It feels like a pretty non-descript English cricket summer, doesn’t it? England’s Test team are comfortably dealing with weaker opposition, Surrey are running away with yet another Division One title and everyone is still bickering about the Hundred. But things could get very interesting.
An initial buzz of speculation on social media has steadily grown and it now seems possible that Shakib Al-Hasan, Bangladesh’s premier all-rounder, will join Surrey for one match in September. No, it’s not April Fool’s day and yes you read that right – just the one match. Let the news sink in.
Shakib is currently in the middle of a Test tour in Pakistan, which is due to end on September 3rd. He has reportedly obtained a No Objection Certificate, for the period immediately after the Pakistan Tour and before a tour of India, due to begin on September 19th. Bangladeshi cricket media are strongly suggesting that he will join Surrey for their red ball match against Somerset at Taunton, beginning on September 13th. Surrey, for their part, have provided no official comment on the rumoured move.
“Saying that Shakib comes with baggage, is a gross understatement. But at this moment in time, Shakib is facing an issue of potentially career ending proportions – he’s been indicted on a murder charge.”
Saying that Shakib comes with baggage, is a gross understatement. But at this moment in time, Shakib is facing an issue of potentially career ending proportions – he’s been indicted on a murder charge. The fact that a high court judge has sent a legal notice to the BCB, requesting his immediate withdrawal from the team, has ratcheted up the pressure.
Shakib the Politician
Context is of course everything, so here’s an attempt at explaining it; Shakib became an MP for the recently ousted Awami League (AL) government, during elections at the start of the year. The elections were boycotted by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) due to allegations of widespread election rigging. This meant that Shakib won an uncontested seat.
Whether or not Shakib has any actual political leanings is a moot and superfluous point. For the record, the AL are ostensibly left of centre with a secular outlook. Their USP is that they were the party that led the country to independence. However, these once-upon-a-time core values have morphed into something totally unrecognisable today.
By enlisting the country’s most famous cricketer into their ranks, the AL were able to bask in the reflected glory of Shakib’s achievements. It was a marriage of convenience.
Shakib’s decision to become an AL MP, was all about self-interest and greed. Becoming an MP in Bangladesh means privilege and power on a different scale, the idea of actually serving people is way down the list of priorities. By enlisting the country’s most famous cricketer into their ranks, the AL were able to bask in the reflected glory of Shakib’s achievements. It was a marriage of convenience.
Fast forward to July, and the fourteen year draconian rule of Sheikh Hasina’s government, was brought to its knees following a student led uprising. Estimates of those killed by government forces during the protests, range from a few hundred to thousands. Sheikh Hasina’s hasty exit on a helicopter to Delhi on August 5th, not only signalled the end of the AL government but amidst a power vacuum, it also gave the green light for savage score settling. For years BNP activists and supporters, as well as other opposition parties, had been brutally supressed, with no functioning law enforcement in place, anyone with AL links became fair game.
“The murder charge against Shakib, is spurious to say the least.”
So it was only a matter of time, before Shakib, arguably the second best known AL figure after the Prime Minister, would be targeted. The murder charge against Shakib, is spurious to say the least. He has been indicted along with 147 others, in reference to the murder of an anti-government protester. The Bangladeshi judiciary is so fragile – a consequence of Hasina’s rule – that it’s not uncommon for politically motivated cases to be filed and investigated. It’s abundantly clear, that Shakib finds himself on the receiving end of these circumstances. Shakib was in Canada at the time of the murder, so the only possible and flimsy case against him would be if he’s somehow guilty by tenuous association.
And what about Surrey?
The story about Shakib playing one match for Surrey, is plain odd for so many reasons. Firstly, there’s the murder charge. Even if it is a trumped up charge, and even if it’s for one match, does the country’s most successful county want to be associated with that kind of publicity?
Secondly, unless something drastic happens, Surrey will have almost sewn up the title, before they even get to Taunton. From a tactical point of view, yes Taunton is spin friendly but leg spinner Cam Steel is having a fine season for Surrey and Dan Lawrence will be available again following Test duty, to provide an able supporting spin role.
Shakib has already experienced the wrath of Canadian based Bangladesh fans, during his stint at the Global T20 Canada tournament. His perceived indifference over the deaths of anti-government protesters led to unsavoury exchanges with spectators. If it can happen in a sleepy Toronto suburb, it could certainly happen in Taunton. Shakib is used to scrutiny and attention, he’s often courted it, but his personal safety is now at stake.
And finally, there may well be logistical hurdles to overcome; for example can someone facing a criminal investigation be granted a UK visa?
The timing of the potential move, wreaks of desperation from Shakib. His career choices have often been informed by short term benefit and this seems no different. Even before his latest brush with the law, his star has been on the wane. His renewed love for red ball cricket, a format he’s regularly shunned in the recent past, is perhaps a realization that his storied international career will be imminently ending, so why not collect as many appearance fee cheques as possible?
By the way, against a backdrop of players donating their match fees from the First Test against Pakistan, to victims of ongoing floods, it wouldn’t look great if Shakib ends up earning a silly amount for one outing in a Surrey brown cap.
“The political realm was never going to be a kind bedfellow.”
Shakib’s reputation was tarnished well before he entered politics. But the political realm was never going to be a kind bedfellow, and so it’s proving to be. If this latest scandal, forces Shakib away from international cricket and further into the margins, there will be a sense of sadness for many. Although he relocated to the USA a few years ago, not playing or even being allowed to set foot in Bangladesh, will hurt Shakib. His tendency to self-destruct has always been plain to see, but it really didn’t need to be this way.