When the media learnt that it was Shakib Al Hasan who would arrive for the pre-match interaction on the eve of the second Test match, the excitement was quite palpable because, after the fall of the Awami League government in Bangladesh, the effervescent all-rounder has been in the eye of a political storm.
Shakib was named as an accused in a murder case back home during the political unrest that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Shakib was a Member of Parliament from her party.

Initially, the media conference went along predicted lines with the Indian media sticking to questions related to the second Test in Kanpur. But once the Bangladesh journalists took over, things took a dramatic turn. It led to Shakib saying that he had informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), that he would like to play his farewell Test in front of his home crowd (in Mirpur) when New Zealand play a two-match Test series from October 21. However, with murder and corruption charges against him by the new regime and many supporters of the new government braying for his arrest, Shakib has sought security from the BCB and also a guarantee to leave the country at the conclusion of the Test series with New Zealand. Shakib is married to an American citizen and as a result has a Permanent Resident (PR) status in the USA.