Bangladesh says star cricketer Shakib will not play again after Hasina event

Bangladesh said Friday that former star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan had no prospect of returning to play after he joined a media event with ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a convicted fugitive.

Shakib joined the event by telephone in New Delhi on Wednesday, where Hasina addressed journalists two years after being forced from power.

Why is Shakib not playing for Bangladesh?

Bangladesh Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said the government had previously taken a flexible approach toward Shakib, a former lawmaker for Hasina's Awami League party. His participation in Hasina's media event has now closed that door, with the minister saying anyone who shared a stage with the former leader has no path back to the national side.

"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."

Who is Shakib Al Hasan?

Shakib, 39, is Bangladesh's most successful cricketer and one of the country's best-known sporting figures. He has played more than 400 international matches and represented Bangladesh at five World Cups.

He is currently in Sri Lanka and was among dozens of people facing murder investigations over a deadly police crackdown on protesters that toppled Hasina's government.

What is Shakib's history with Sheikh Hasina?

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 court in Dhaka found Hasina guilty in absentia in November 2025 of crimes against humanity and sentenced her to be hanged. She remains in hiding in India.

Shakib announced his retirement plans in September 2024 after his team's second Test in India, but later said he would play a full series before stepping away. The Bangladesh Cricket Board said in January he could play again, but his involvement in Wednesday's event in India sparked anger.