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Bangladesh called up uncapped spinner Hasan Murad on Friday to replace retiring Shakib Al Hasan ahead of the first Test against South Africa after security fears led the ex-skipper to cancel plans to return home.
Shakib announced his retirement from international cricket last month but said that he wanted to play one last red-ball series at home.
But the 37-year-old is also an ex-lawmaker in a government ousted by a revolution, and his links to Bangladesh’s autocratic former premier has made him a target of public anger.
Shakib cancelled plans to return home on Thursday for the first time since the August uprising, saying the decision was made as “a matter of my own security”.
Left-arm spinner Murad, 23, was named in the squad instead for the first match of a two-Test series starting in Dhaka on Monday.
“We have been informed that Shakib is unavailable for the first Test,” Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selection panel chair Gazi Ashraf Hossain said in a statement.
“He is at the end of his Test career but along with his experience, we still do not have someone of that calibre with both bat and the ball to replace him,” he added.
“However, Hasan Murad has performed consistently in first-class cricket… We believe he has the potential to deliver at this level.”
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Hasan Murad has taken 136 first-class wickets from 30 matches since his 2021 debut.
Shakib is a former lawmaker from the party of autocratic ex-leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled by helicopter to India in August.
He is among dozens from Hasina’s party facing murder investigations for a deadly police crackdown on protesters during the uprising.
Asif Mahmud, who heads the sports ministry, said he had advised the cricket board to discourage Shakib from returning because of public anger.
Shakib Al Hasan apologised in a Facebook post earlier this month for remaining silent during the revolution.
Bangladesh squad for South Africa Tests:
Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Shadman Islam, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das (wk), Zaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, Hasan Murad.
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