By Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has hinted at the possibility of playing in the next World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
Leading up to the 2024 T20 World Cup, there were talks regarding this global T20I tournament possibly being the last for Shakib, who, along with Rohit Sharma, is the only player to have featured in each edition of the ICC T20 World Cup so far. Shakib, currently the leading wicket-taker in tournament history with 47 wickets in 36 matches, vaguely clarified about extending his international career in T20 cricket. Recently, Shakib had talked about making a call on his international future after the 2025 Champions Trophy, but in this interaction, he spoke about going further with an eye on the next T20 World Cup as well.
“Firstly, when I started, I didn’t expect that I would play for so long, and secondly, since the start of the T20 Cricket World Cup till this T20 World Cup, I have participated in all of them along with Rohit Sharma. It is a matter of pride for me, and I’m happy that I could represent the country,” Shakib was quoted in a video uploaded on BCB’s Facebook page on Friday.
“Me and Rohit Sharma are the only two players who have played all the T20 World Cups, and I hope that I can play another World Cup, but before that, I would like to perform well in the tournament, and Bangladesh can do better than the previous T20 tournament,” he said.
Shakib, who spends most of his time in the USA as his family is based there, added that he expects Bangladesh to do well in the tournament, considering the wickets are going to be similar to what they play at back home.
“It is alright that the USA is my second home, but it is difficult to say, but I think we will get that because earlier when we played in the West Indies and America, we did well, and when we played in Florida, we did well,” said Shakib.
Shakib Al Hasan Interested in Extending T20I Career
“The only thing that I feel is that there should be the same competition between bat and ball, and it should not be one-sided, and normally that is not the case with World Cups, and I feel it would be the same this time round.”
Shakib admitted that he still finds cricket much easier than dealing with matters as a Member of Parliament. Shakib is currently an MP in Bangladesh after winning in his Magura constituency during the last general elections.
“For me, being a Member of Parliament is difficult (compared to playing cricket) because I have been playing for a long time since my childhood and feel very comfortable with it, while this (politics) is new to me (being a Member of Parliament),” said Shakib, who is eyeing support from Bangladeshi fans in the showpiece event.
“There will be a lot of Bangladeshi fans there (in the World Cup), and I hope they will give us full support, and this support will help us, and we will be able to give good results,” he said.
“I don’t want to see anything besides my name, and the only thing that I want is to contribute to the Bangladesh team and hope to do well for Bangladesh in this World Cup,” he added.
