Bangladesh said on Friday that former star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan had no prospect of returning to play. 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. Hasina addressed journalists there, two years after she was forced from power following a deadly crackdown on student-led protests.
Bangladesh Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said the government had previously taken a more open approach towards Shakib. He was a lawmaker for Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party.
Shakib, who is currently in Sri Lanka, was among dozens facing murder investigations over a deadly police crackdown on protesters. The crackdown 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’s international career
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.
Rights groups have long accused Hasina’s former administration of abuses. These include 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. The court sentenced her to be hanged. She remains in hiding in India.
Shakib’s retirement plans
All-rounder Shakib announced his retirement plans in September 2024 after his team’s second Test in India. He later said he would play a full series before calling it quits.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board said in January that he could play again. However, his involvement in the event in India on Wednesday sparked anger.
