• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Shakib Al Hasan Can Never Again Play For Bangladesh Sports Advisor Issues Warning

"Shakib Al Hasan can never again play for Bangladesh": Sports advisor issues warning

Akshita Patel

Shakib Al Hasan at cross roads with Bangladesh sports advisor [Source: @ayush_m255/X.com]Shakib Al Hasan at cross roads with Bangladesh sports advisor [Source: @ayush_m255/X.com]

Bangladesh cricket icon Shakib Al Hasan may never play for his country again, after the nation’s sports advisor, Asif Mahmud, announced he would instruct the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to stop selecting him. 

The controversy comes after Shakib’s brief political stint. He served as an Awami League member of parliament from January to August last year, before the government was ousted in a student-led revolution. 

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, while Shakib, who was not in the country at the time, has not returned since, with multiple legal cases registered against him.

Asif Mahmud insists on banning Shakib Al Hasan permanently

Recently, Shakib Al Hasan posted a birthday message on social media for deposed PM Sheikh Hasina, sparking controversy. 

Reacting to this message, national sports advisor Asif Mahmud commented on social media about those criticising him for not helping a political figure. While he did not mention Shakib by name, it became clear that the cricketer’s birthday wish had caused a stir.

"All of you have abused me a lot for not rehabilitating one person. But I was right. End of the discussion," Mahmud wrote.

Then Shakib accused Mahmud of deliberately blocking his return to the national side, saying he may never get to play for Bangladesh again.

"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," Shakib said.

Shakib sidelined due to political interests

In a statement to Dhaka-based Channel 24, Asif Mahmud said Shakib Al Hasan was intricately involved with the Awami League’s politics and that he would not allow him to represent Bangladesh again.

"We cannot let him carry the Bangladesh flag," Asif said. "It won't be possible for me to allow him to wear the Bangladesh jersey. Maybe I haven't told the BCB before, but now my clear direction for the BCB would be that Shakib Al Hasan can never again play for Bangladesh," Mahmud said.

"The number of times he has asked to enter the country, to play for Bangladesh, he had said that the Awami League had given him the [2024 general election] nomination forcibly. He claimed that he was not involved in politics. He wanted to become an MP to work for the people of his area [Magura]. The truth, however, is that he is intricately involved in Awami League's politics," he added.

Though Shakib responded, saying his message was meant only to acknowledge a long-standing relationship with Hasina that predated his involvement in politics, the sports advisor has made up his mind.

While Shakib Al Hasan has been the face of Bangladesh cricket for more than a decade, the reality is that he may never get to don a Bangladesh jersey again.