Retired Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has withdrawn from the squad for next week's first Test against South Africa amid uncertainty over whether he will be able to return to his home country due to “security issues”.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed that left-arm spinner Hasan Murad has replaced the 37-year-old, who is expected to miss a final Test series after announcing his retirement from international cricket last month.

Shakib, a former MP and ex-lawmaker in the government that was overthrown by protesters in August, had been discouraged from returning to Bangladesh due to public anger.

“We have been informed that Shakib is not available for the first Test,” the BCB said.

“He is coming to the end of his Test career but despite his experience we still don’t have anyone of this caliber with both bat and ball to replace him.”

The BCB said 23-year-old replacement Murad, who has taken 136 wickets in 30 first-class matches, has “performed consistently” and has “the potential to deliver at this level”.

Bangladesh will face South Africa in two Tests, the first starting on October 21 in Dhaka.

Shakib is considered one of his country's greatest sportsmen – he is Bangladesh's record Test wicket-taker with 246 in 71 matches and has scored 4,609 runs.

“I should return home… but now I don't think I can,” Shakib told broadcaster bdnews24.com. “It’s a safety issue, a question of my own safety.”

In January, Shakib became a lawmaker for the then-ruling Awami League party, whose former leader Sheikh Hasina fled the country in August.

He is among dozens of Hasina's party members who have faced murder investigations against him after police used deadly force against demonstrators during the uprising.

Shakib apologized in a Facebook post earlier this month for remaining silent during the revolution.

However, Asif Mahmud, who heads the sports ministry, said that “recent protests indicate that it was not enough” and that he had advised Shakib not to return to avoid “adverse incidents”.

“This decision was taken to ensure the safety of the players and protect the country’s image,” Mahmud added in a statement.

Bangladeshi media said Shakib was in Dubai but would travel to the US.

When the regime collapsed, Shakib played in a domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Canada and has not returned to Bangladesh since. He toured Pakistan and India with the Bangladesh team.

The first Test against South Africa in Mirpur, near the capital Dhaka, will be the first international cricket match in Bangladesh since crowds stormed Sheikh Hasina's palace.

According to Bangladesh's Ministry of Health, more than 700 people died in the unrest.

The second Test will be played in the port city of Chittagong, also known as Chattogram, from October 29.