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After returning home from the T20 World Cup, Shakib Al Hasan departed for the United States to play in the Major League Cricket (MLC) for the Los Angeles Knight Riders as the former Bangladesh captain is currently participating in Canada's Global T20 league, playing for the Mississauga Tigers. Meanwhile, student protests are ongoing in Bangladesh.
In the past two weeks, the quota reform movement has sparked protests and clashes across various parts of the country, resulting in several deaths. Shakib, who is an MP for the Magura-2 constituency supported by the Awami League, has remained silent on these national events, leading to public outrage.
During a match in the Global T20, a spectator urged Shakib to speak out. In response, Shakib asked, "What did you do for the country?" This remark has led to widespread criticism.
Jalal Yunus, chairman of the cricket operations committee, expressed that Shakib should not have made such comments.
"I haven't seen the video, so it wouldn't be right for me to comment. However, what he did was certainly not correct. Everyone has contributions in different areas, and questioning Shakib's contributions wasn't appropriate." Jalal said to the media at Mirpur.
"If he referred to Shakib's contributions to cricket, which I have heard about but not seen, we all know Shakib's contributions. The contributions of our senior players to Bangladesh cricket cannot be denied." he added.
While Shakib has remained silent, other cricketers like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Towhid Hridoy, Shariful Islam, and Najmul Hossain Shanto have all shared messages of peace. Despite expectations, the former Bangladesh captain did not meet them, which Jalal sees as Shakib's personal decision.
"Look, this is a personal matter for Shakib. I can't say exactly what he said” Jalal concluded.