Bangladesh’s Minister for Youth and Sports, Aminul Haque, announced on Friday that veteran cricketer Shakib Al Hasan has no future in the national side. This decision follows the 39-year-old athlete’s participation in a media event alongside the country’s ousted former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is currently a convicted fugitive.
Shakib, who is currently in Sri Lanka, joined the New Delhi event via telephone on Wednesday. Hasina, who was forced from power two years ago following a violent crackdown on student-led demonstrations, remains in hiding in India. A Dhaka court sentenced her in absentia to be hanged in November 2025 after finding her guilty of crimes against humanity.
Minister Haque stated that while the government had previously maintained a flexible stance toward the cricketer—who served as a lawmaker for Hasina’s Awami League party—his recent actions have closed that door. “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, adding that anyone appearing alongside the former leader has no opportunity to return to the sport.
The controversy is compounded by the fact that Shakib is among dozens of individuals currently facing murder investigations related to the lethal police response to protests that ultimately toppled the previous administration. Rights organizations have long alleged that Hasina’s government engaged in systematic abuses, including the suppression of political opposition, the use of rigged courts, and the orchestration of one-sided elections.
Widely regarded as Bangladesh’s most successful cricketer, Shakib has represented his country in five World Cups and appeared in over 400 international matches. Although he initially announced plans to retire in September 2024, he later indicated a desire to complete a full series. While the Bangladesh Cricket Board had suggested in January that he could remain active, his recent public association with Hasina has triggered widespread public anger.
“Someone who has taken the stage with the autocrat no longer has any opportunity to return.”
