Shakib al Hasan calls Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal 'legends' & wishes to retire with them

Bangladesh cricketer Shakib al Hasan is arguably one of the best all-rounders across formats. The southpaw had a brilliant run at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as he amassed 606 runs in 8 matches with two centuries and five fifties. Shakib al Hasan also performed extremely well with the ball as he bagged 11 wickets with a fifer against Afghanistan. However, after the glorious campaign, things went downhill for the 33-year-old. Shakib al Hasan is currently serving a ban from the ICC after he failed to report three corrupt approaches.

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Shakib al Hasan ban: Former Bangladesh captain wants to retire with Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal

Shakib al Hasan has been instrumental in Bangladesh cricket's rise at the international level along with senior players like Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. The speculations about Mortaza’s retirement have been rife since the 2019 World Cup. However, Shakib al Hasan has revealed that he wants to call time on his career with Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim, calling them 'legends'.

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While speaking to Cricbuzz, Shakib al Hasan said that it would be the best if the trio retires together as they have been playing together since their U-15 days. He hoped that they can retire after few years, sit back, relax and talk about their achievements. However, he said, for now, they can look forward and think about the 2023 World Cup, which will be very important for Bangladesh cricket and for them personally. 

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Shakib al Hasan ban: The Bangladesh all-rounder says he took bookies' approach too casually

In the same conversation, Shakib al Hasan revealed that he had taken the approach from the bookie too 'casually' and that he had been completely transparent with the anti-corruption officer in charge, pointing out that he would have been banned for ten years instead of one if he had not been so. Calling it a 'silly mistake', Shakib said that he should have been more careful considering his experience in international cricket and the awareness about ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. The premium all-rounder admitted that he had been a 'little too arrogant' by not reporting the approach immediately and that it never struck him that he had done anything wrong at that moment.

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IMAGE COURTESY: SHAKIB AL HASAN INSTAGRAM