Bangladesh’s interim rulers said they would never let the country's greatest cricketer play international sport again.
All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan sparred with Asif Mahmud, sports adviser to the interim government, over the weekend after sharing a social media post wishing ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina on her birthday.
Shakib, 38, was a member of parliament for the Awami League party of the former prime minister, whose 15-year rule was ended in August 2024 by a street agitation that sent her fleeing to neighbouring India.
The cricketer has not been home since that agitation erupted in July of last year.
Mahmud told local news outlet Channel 24 on Monday that his interim administration would not let Shakib don the red and green jersey of Bangladesh ever again.
Shakib is retired from T20Is and effectively done with Test cricket, but continues to play ODIs. He is considered Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer.
Mahmud said the cricketer “will not be permitted to carry the Bangladeshi flag”. The adviser said he would instruct the Bangladesh Cricket Board not to select the player for ODIs.
“To wear the national jersey is simply not something I can allow,” Mahmud told Channel 24. “Shakib Al Hasan will never again play for the Bangladesh team.”
He claimed that Shakib was “deeply tied” to the Awami League, dismissing the cricketer’s claim that he ran for office solely to serve his constituency.
Mahmud’s remarks came after a heated debate with Sakib on Facebook, triggered by the cricketer sharing a picture of him with Hasina, referring to her as elder sister. The caption read: "Happy birthday appa.”
Mahmud responded to the post without naming the player. "All of you have abused me a lot for not rehabilitating one person. But I was right. End of the discussion," he posted.
Shakib, in a following post, said: "So someone has finally accepted that it's because of him that I can never put on the Bangladesh jersey again, because of whom I can't play for Bangladesh again. Maybe I will return to my motherland one day. Love you, Bangladesh."
Mahmud tried to justify the ban on Shakib claiming that the cricketer claimed he was not involved in politics every time he wished to return to Bangladesh.
"'I only contested the parliamentary election to work for my people,’” he said, quoting the cricketer. “But the truth is he is deeply entangled with Awami League politics and we now have the evidence.”
Shakib dismissed the significance of his birthday post. “She has always been a serious cricket follower,” he told Channel24, meaning the former prime minister.
“From that perspective, I simply wished her. There was no ulterior motive."
The cricketer is also under federal investigation for allegedly embezzling over £15m from the stock market.
The Independent has reached out to Shakib for comment.
