“Kothin. Khub kothin (Tough, very tough).” Shakib Al Hasan was candid when asked about how difficult it was to keep his focus on cricket at a time when life beyond sport was proving to be a rough ride for him.

Shakib has a case filed against him for the alleged murder of a garment factory worker in Dhaka and also faces charges of share market manipulation. Yet, the premier Bangladesh all-rounder joined his teammates for a gruelling tour of India.

Shakib failed to live up to his reputation in the opening Test in Chennai. He has been battling a left-index finger discomfort too.

The 37-year-old seems to have had enough. On Thursd­ay in Kanpur, Shakib announced that next year’s Champ­ions Trophy will be the last time he dons the Bangladesh cap.

Shakib will no longer be seen in T20Is. And in Test cri­cket, the second and final game against India beginni­ng on Friday will be his last on foreign soil — and the Ut­tar Pradesh Cricket Association will also felicitate him on the occasion. “I have communicated to the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) that ideally, I would want to play
(Test cricket) till the game at Mirpur against South Africa (next month).

“But, the BCB needs to assure my safety there. Else, the one here (in Kanpur) will probably be my last Test appearance,” Shakib said.

“Being a Bangladeshi citiz­en, going to my country sho­u­ldn’t be a problem. But what happens after I get there? Resi­ding in the country is a probl­em as (my) safety and security are issues. My family and friends remain worried over this matter. I still hope for a so­lution, though,” Shakib said.

Shakib’s wish to end his Test career at home may remain unfulfilled as the BCB cannot assure him of adequate security. “This aspect is not in our control. It’s looked after by the government. We’ll think of taking their (government’s) help after our CEO (Nizamuddin Chowdhury) is back,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed told The Telegraph.

Being in the news mainly for the wrong reasons since the one-year ban for failure to report spot-fixing approaches, Shakib remains Bangladesh’s best cricketer ever.

“He has worked hard over the years physically, technically and tactically. He has had a distinguished career,” former Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore emphasised.