Najmul Hossain Shanto drops 'waste of time' bombshell on Shakib Al Hasan's Test absence

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was supposed to be playing his farewell Test match against South Africa at Dhaka. However, the protests from a student group against Shakib forced the all-rounder not to travel to Bangladesh.

This meant that Shakib Al Hasan is unavailable for what was supposed to be his last Test match, effectively bringing an end to his Test career. Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto spoke about Shakib's absence from the first Test.

Watch: Virat Kohli shows mischievous side as his sneak attack on Kuldeep Yadav goes viral

Najmul Hossain Shanto speaks on Shakib Al Hasan's absence

While speaking to the reporters on the eve of the match, Najmul Hossain Shanto was asked about his opinions on Shakib Al Hasan's absence from the team. Shanto was measured in his reply and said that the team just wants to concentrate on its game and are focused on playing the match.

“It will only be a waste of time if we think too much about this, since we cannot control it. These two Tests are very important to us... Players are preparing and focusing on cricket only," Shanto said.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was also asked about Bangladesh's new head coach Phil Simmons, who just replaced Chandika Hathurusingha. The upcoming series against South Africa will be Simmons' first stint as Bangladesh's new head coach.

"He is trying to understand the environment inside the dressing room," Najmul noted. "But he is new and we also don't know him well. I hope in the next few matches we can adjust,” Shanto noted.

Why can't Shakib Al Hasan travel to Bangladesh?

Shakib Al Hasan was a Member of Parliament from Magura district of Bangladesh. He was a part of Bangladesh's Awami League party which was dethroned by the students. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had to flee the country to save her life while all the party members in the country were brutally treated.

Shakib himself has been named along with 146 other people in a murder case. Being a party member of the Awami League, he reckons that he is in danger as he moves to his native country.

Since then, there is a political unrest in the country with the interim government in place. Shakib himself has not traveled to Bangladesh since the unrest. The allrounder, who currently stays in the USA, played the two-match Test series against Pakistan, which Bangladesh won 2-0, before going to the UK for a County Championship match for Surrey.

Shakib Al Hasan's last Test series

Shakib then traveled to India for the two-match Test series against the home side, which Bangladesh lost 0-2. It also turned out to be his last Test series. Afterward, he went back to the USA, where his family lives currently.

Shakib was due to travel to Bangladesh for his last Test match but was stranded in the UAE after learning about the protests against him in the country.

Shakib Al Hasan is easily the biggest name in Bangladesh cricket. He is arguably the greatest cricketer to have emerged from Bangladesh. He has already announced that he won't be playing any more T20Is. Thus, the all-rounder is just available to play ODIs now.