Retiring ex-skipper Shakib Al Hasan told local media 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.
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.
However, Shakib is also a former member of parliament and an ex-lawmaker in the government that was ousted by protesters in August, and he has been discouraged from returning to the country because of public anger.
Shakib is among dozens from Hasina’s party facing murder investigations for a deadly police crackdown on protesters during the uprising.
The broadcaster and other Bangladesh media said Shakib was in Dubai but would be heading to the United States.
Shakib was playing in a domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Canada when the regime collapsed and has not returned to Bangladesh since.
But he has toured Pakistan and India with the Bangladesh team with the approval of the interim government established to govern the country after Hasina’s departure.
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.
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