Shakib Al Hasan will not wear the Bangladesh jersey again, according to the country’s sports advisor Asif Mahmud. Shakib hasn’t played for Bangladesh in the last 12 months with his last international appearance coming during the second Test against India at Kanpur in September last year. The star all-rounder has, however, continued to feature in different franchise leagues across the globe.
Speaking to local television Channel 24 over telephone, Asif made the declaration following an animated chat on social media. He said he would instruct the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) not to pick Shakib in Bangladesh’s squad across formats in the future.
It all started when Shakib took to his social media and shared a photo with former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, wishing her a happy birthday on Monday (September 29). What followed was a series of animated Facebook posts, with neither side naming the other.
Asif replied to Shakib’s post, “he was right for rehabilitating one person”. The cricketer, on the other hand, stated that at least someone (Asif) has accepted that he has been prevented from wearing the national jersey again.
Asif added while speaking on Channel 24, “He cannot be allowed to carry the Bangladesh flag. Wearing the Bangladesh jersey is not something I can possibly approve… Shakib Al Hasan will never play for Bangladesh again.”
For context, Shakib was an Awami League member of parliament from January to August last year before the government was ousted in a student-led revolution. Hasina fled to India on August 5, while Shakib, who was not in the country at the time, hasn’t returned home. He also faces a murder case, stock market fraud allegations, and Anti-Corruption Commission charges.
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Shakib revealed that he had known Hasina before politics, and she always had a huge interest in cricket.
He, however, downplayed the birthday post, telling Channel 24: “She always followed cricket seriously… from that place, I can wish someone a happy birthday. There was no other motive.”
However, the cricketer had defended both his political decisions and his hope of returning to cricket. He claimed that his intentions were to work for the people of Magura, stressing that joining politics was a citizen’s right.
The doors to wear a Bangladesh jersey again seem to be closing for the 38-year-old. He remains the only cricketer to score 6000 ODI runs and take 300 wickets. The southpaw currently has over 14,000 international runs and more than 650 wickets to his name, establishing himself as one of the best all-rounders.
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