Bangladesh announced on Friday that former star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has no prospect of returning to play after he joined a media event with ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a convicted fugitive. Shakib, 39, participated via telephone in New Delhi on Wednesday, where Hasina addressed journalists two years after being forced from power following a deadly crackdown on student-led protests.
Bangladesh Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque stated that the government had previously maintained a flexible approach toward Shakib, who served as a lawmaker for Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party. Shakib is currently in Sri Lanka and is among dozens facing murder investigations related to the police crackdown that toppled Hasina’s government.
“We had been looking at the matter with considerable flexibility and tolerance. After this, I do not think there is any room to think that way anymore,” Haque said in a statement. “Someone who has taken the stage with the autocrat no longer has any opportunity to return.”
Shakib is Bangladesh’s most successful cricketer and a prominent sporting figure, having played over 400 international matches and represented the nation at five World Cups. Rights groups have long accused Hasina’s former administration of abuses, including the murder of rivals, suppression of opposition parties, rigged courts, and one-sided elections. A Dhaka court found Hasina guilty in absentia in November 2025 of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to be hanged; she remains in hiding in India.
The all-rounder initially announced retirement plans in September 2024 following a Test in India but later indicated he would play a full series before retiring. Although the Bangladesh Cricket Board suggested in January that he could play again, his involvement in Wednesday’s event sparked widespread anger.
Shakib, 39, is Bangladesh’s most successful cricketer and one of the country’s best-known sporting figures.
