Shakib is back as Bangladesh captain!

Shakib Al Hasan has been out of the national team for nearly two years, yet he remains busy with franchise cricket.

The 38-year-old Bangladeshi all-rounder has now been named the captain of ‘Bangladesh Tigers’ for the Asian Legends League.

The Bangladesh Tigers have assembled an experienced squad featuring Alok Kapali (vice-captain), Dhiman Ghosh, Mehedy Maruf, Shafiul Islam, Abul Hassan Raju and several other former domestic and international stars.

While it is a legends competition, Shakib’s return to a leadership role is bound to be one of the tournament’s biggest talking points.

Alongside Bangladesh Tigers, teams such as Asian Stars, Indian Royals, Pakistan Panthers, Afghanistan Pathans, and Sri Lankan Lions will participate in this year’s Asian Legends League.

The tournament, which began on Thursday in Zambia, will continue until August 10.

Currently, Shakib is playing for the Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League. His team has already secured a spot in the playoffs. Jaffna sits at the top of the table with 10 points from seven matches.

If the team overcomes all hurdles, they will compete in the final on August 8. After all, captaining Bangladesh has been synonymous with Shakib for much of the last decade.

Widely regarded as the country’s greatest cricketer, he has scored more than 14,000 international runs, taken over 700 wickets across formats and spent years as the world’s top-ranked all-rounder. His impact on Bangladesh cricket is virtually unmatched.