The fall of a cricketing Icon: Where did it go wrong for Shakib?

After the first Test against India, Shakib Al Hasan made a wish, he wanted his final Test to be at Mirpur, against South Africa—a chance to say goodbye to Test cricket on his home turf, in front of the fans who've loved and supported him throughout his glorious career. For Shakib, it would've been a perfect ending, playing one last time where it all began. But life, as it often does, had other plans. Shakib's story won't get the ending he had hoped for. His last Test won't be at Mirpur, and the farewell he dreamed of in front of his home crowd won't happen.

Shakib is undoubtedly a once-in-a-generation cricketer for Bangladesh. A player of his calibre has never emerged in the country before, and it's uncertain when another like him will appear. Yet, as his departure from cricket becomes more thorny and divisive, leaving fans and critics either in favour or against him, one inevitable question arises—what has gone wrong for the talismanic all-rounder?

There is no single, definitive answer to this question. However, many factors contribute to the narrative. Throughout his 17-year international career, Shakib not only garnered unparalleled success but also found himself surrounded by controversy. Now, as his career winds down, people seem to be remembering his controversies more than his triumphs—perhaps, this is his fate.

If one seeks to answer the question of 'what has truly gone wrong for Shakib', one might say he has lost the 'mass support'. The turning point came with his decision to enter politics, which severely soured public opinion. Until then, while he had often been embroiled in controversy, his performance with the bat and ball had always allowed him to silence critics. One day, those who criticised him for his off-field actions would still recognise him as Bangladesh's greatest cricketer.

However, the moment Shakib became a Member of Parliament for the Awami League in a highly controversial election, his fanbase split into two distinct camps. A small group continued to admire him as a cricketer, but a larger faction began to view him as 'greedy'. To this majority, his foray into politics seemed unnecessary—after all, cricket had given him everything. So why enter politics? Shakib's explanation that he wanted to serve his community didn't resonate with Bangladesh's cricket-loving public.

Then came the student-led protests in July-August, a pivotal moment in the nation. Shakib's silence during this time, compounded by social media posts from his wife showcasing their luxurious life abroad, inflamed public sentiment further. Fans who had long idolised the cricketer were left disillusioned. They were looking for Shakib the cricketer to step up, but instead, they got Shakib the politician, distant from the struggles of his people. He seemed to forget—or deliberately ignore—that as a cricketing superstar, he belonged to the entire nation, not just a political party.

The same Bangladesh that once celebrated Shakib for bringing joy and triumph now regards him as an outsider. Some still wish for him to play one final Test on home soil, but their voices are faint in the larger national discourse. Another dimension to this complex scenario is the hidden resentment from those Shakib alienated, whether knowingly or unknowingly, over the years. Some people, even in cricketing circles, have harboured secret envy and took the opportunity to tarnish his legacy further. It seems improbable that merely 7–8 months of political involvement could erase 17 years of sporting achievements—unless this resentment already existed, lying in wait.

The fact that Shakib is being denied the honour he deserves at this critical juncture in his career could also be attributed to this underlying antagonism. For the current government, allowing Shakib's return to the field would be a self-contradictory move, especially given the charged political climate. The concern over negative reactions, both from within the country and from abroad, took precedence. That's why Shakib was advised to stay away from Bangladesh for the time being—playing his farewell match at home was deemed too risky.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) faced a dilemma as well. They could not, in good conscience, risk the country's cricketing future for one farewell match, even if it was for their most iconic player. The fear of causing irreparable damage to Bangladesh cricket loomed large, especially with the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on the horizon. Any negative incident involving Shakib could scare away foreign players, a risk BCB was unwilling to take.

As a result, Shakib's feet were stopped short in Dubai, instead of reaching his homeland for a final hurrah.

Does Shakib, on his way to the USA, feel the heat? Perhaps. Perhaps not.