Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder and former MP Shakib Al Hasan on Wednesday (August 21) featured in a Test match against Pakistan in Rawalpindi despite protests back home over his inclusion amid political turmoil.

In January, Shakib won the Magura Parliamentary seat on Sheik Hasina’s Awami League party ticket. Hasina recently quit as Prime Minister amid protests and fled the country.

There were calls for 37-year-old Shakib not to be picked in the Bangladesh Test team. However, the interim government gave permission for his inclusion and the first of two Tests against Pakistan began on Wednesday with Shakib as part of the Playing XI.

Many Bangladeshis were angry at Shakib for not commenting on the political crisis of the country. Also when he recently played in the Global T20 League in Canada, Bangladeshis raised slogans against him.

Former Bangladesh Cricket Board member Rafiqul Islam told news agency AFP“When students were being killed, he never protested. Many of these students considered him an icon. He should have come home first and gave an explanation why he was silent.”

However, Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto backed his former skipper by stating that for him Shakib is a cricketer and not a politician.

“He has played this game for so long, so he knows his role and how to prepare himself. I am not thinking about his political career. I don’t think so because he is a professional cricketer; we all treat him as a cricketer, to be honest,” Shanto said on the eve of the first Test.

“I hope he will do something special in this series,” he added.

Shakib is arguably Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer.