County Championship: Surrey in talks to sign Shakib Al Hasan
What's the story
Team Surrey is currently negotiating a deal to sign Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan for a single County Championship game next month. The match, scheduled for September 9 against Somerset in Taunton, will take place just before Shakib departs for Bangladesh's tour of India. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has already granted him a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to participate in this match.
Player shortage
Shakib's participation to fill Surrey's player gap
Shakib's involvement in the County Championship game comes at a time when Surrey will be facing a shortage of players. All their England players will be unavailable due to the ongoing Sri Lanka Test series and the upcoming Australia white-ball series. Following his stint with Surrey, Shakib is set to travel from London to Chennai for Bangladesh's first Test against India on September 19.
Legal proceedings
Shakib's legal issues and BCB's stance
Notably, Shakib, a former MP in Bangladesh's previous government, is among 147 individuals charged in connection with an alleged murder during protests in Bangladesh earlier this month. During the time of these incidents, he was abroad playing in the Global T20 Canada. Despite these charges, the BCB has stated that Shakib can continue representing Bangladesh as the investigation is still underway.
Ongoing investigation
BCB chief comments on Shakib's legal situation
New BCB chief Faruque Ahmed clarified the board's stance on Shakib's legal situation. He told The Daily Star, "It's an FIR (first information report), there are a lot of legal procedures left to prove someone guilty following the filing of FIR." He added that at this moment there is no bar on Shakib continuing his cricketing career.
Registration rights
ECB's right to withhold Shakib's registration
Despite the BCB's stance, ESPNcricinfo has reported that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) retains the right to withhold Shakib's registration for their domestic system, even if he secures a UK visa. This information comes amid ongoing legal proceedings against Shakib in his home country of Bangladesh. Meanwhile, the all-rounder is currently participating in the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.