A proper farewell to a player has been a rarity in Bangladesh cricket. And in that context when champion all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan expressed his desire to sign off from Test cricket at the home of cricket in Mirpur against South Africa a month ago in Kanpur, the countdown started in earnest for cricket aficionados to make it a memorable occasion.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan’s desire to play his farewell Test on home soil suffered a big blow yesterday when he was excluded from the 15-member squad for the first Test against South Africa, scheduled to start on October 21 in Mirpur.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan told ESPNcricinfo today that his return to the country was unlikely owing to protests against the 37-year-old in Dhaka, the venue for the first Test against South Africa, starting on October 21. 

Despite all the speculations, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is set to arrive in the country tomorrow, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) source confirmed to The Daily Star today.