New Zealand were 180-3 at stumps with Rachin Ravindra on 22 and Daryl Mitchell on 14 when bad light stopped play in an extended session
sports5 hours ago
Retiring ex-skipper Shakib Al Hasan told local media on Thursday he was not returning to Bangladesh because of "a security issue", potentially missing what he says will be his final match for his country.
Asif Mahmud, who heads the sports ministry, said he had advised the cricket board to discourage Shakib from returning because of public anger.
As well as a cricket star, Shakib is an ex-lawmaker in the government ousted by a revolution in August.
The 37-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket last month but said that he wanted to play one last Test series at home.
He was named in the Bangladesh squad to face South Africa, with the first of two Tests starting October 21, and had been expected to fly back to Dhaka on Thursday.
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.
"I was to return home... but now I don't think I can," Shakib told broadcaster bdnews24.com.
"It is over a security issue, a matter of my own security."
Shakib apologised in a Facebook post earlier this month for remaining silent during the revolution.
But Mahmud, from the interim government's cabinet, said that "recent protests suggest it wasn't enough" and that to avoid "unwanted incidents" he had advised Shakib not to return.
"This decision was made to ensure the safety of players and to protect the country's image," Mahmud said in a statement.
Shakib was playing in a domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Canada when the regime collapsed and has not returned to Bangladesh since. He toured Pakistan and India with the Bangladesh team.
The first Test against South Africa in Mirpur, near the capital Dhaka, will be the first international cricket fixture in Bangladesh since crowds stormed Hasina's palace.
More than 700 people were killed in the unrest, according to Bangladesh's health ministry.
The second Test will be played in the port city of Chittagong, also called Chattogram, beginning October 29.
Hasina's 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Earlier on Thursday, a court in Bangladesh issued an arrest warrant for Hasina to face charges, including crimes against humanity.
New Zealand were 180-3 at stumps with Rachin Ravindra on 22 and Daryl Mitchell on 14 when bad light stopped play in an extended session
sports5 hours ago
Shival Bawa’s unbeaten 63 steers Giants to glory as they defeated ILT20 Pearls by 6 wickets
sports8 hours ago
The series is the first international cricket fixtures in Bangladesh since a student-led revolution toppled the autocratic premier
sports1 day ago
Cricket Australia confirms Perth as the venue for the first Test of the 2025-26 series
sports1 day ago
'What sets this event apart is the unique opportunity for players to meet and compete with people they might never have met before' - Tournament Director Brandon de Souza
sports1 day ago
“This is a big tournament for me and I will do my best and see where I finish,” said the teenager from The Els Club
sports1 day ago
Sunday's US Grand Prix kicks off a North-South America triple header, with Mexico and Brazil following on successive weekends
sports1 day ago
Denmark are best placed to go through with Spain after they drew 2-2 away to Switzerland
sports1 day ago