Bangladesh players rally behind accused teammate Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh players have rallied round teammate Shakib Al Hasan, the ousted lawmaker who faces a case of alleged murder connected to unrest that toppled the government earlier this month.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said his team‍‍`s maiden Test win against Pakistan on Sunday, in which all-rounder Shakib took three second-innings wickets, was a tribute to the hundreds killed during protests that forced former premier Sheikh Hasina from power.

Bangladesh endured weeks of student-led protests that resulted in Hasina fleeing to India by helicopter on August 5, ending 15 years of autocratic rule.

Shakib, 37, who lost his job as a lawmaker for Hasina‍‍`s Awami League party when parliament was dissolved, is "a big asset of our country," said Shanto in a post on Facebook late Monday.

"He‍‍`s been raising the name of Bangladesh in the world for 17 long years," Shanto said.

Rafiqul Islam, the father of one of the hundreds killed during the civil unrest, filed a murder case against Shakib and 155 others in Dhaka on Thursday.

Hasina‍‍`s government was accused of widespread abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killing of political opponents.

Hasina, former ministers and other ex-lawmakers are among those also accused.

Shakib has not spoken publicly about the case, but his teammates said they were offering him support.

"Such a case against Shakib bhai (brother) is unexpected," Shanto added.

"In the new Bangladesh, we all want to see something new. I hope all the darkness will pass off and new light will come."

Veteran batsman Mushfiqur Rahim said on Facebook: "I have said it many times before, and I will say it again, I am proud to play alongside a champion like Shakib.

"As a teammate and a brother, I will be there during his tough times, and I do not support the false allegations made against him because I know he would never engage in inhumane actions."

Bangladesh achieved their first victory over Pakistan in 14 Tests with a thumping 10-wicket win on Sunday after both teams struggled in hot conditions on a flat Rawalpindi pitch.

The second and final Test will also be played in Rawalpindi from Friday.