Bangladesh say Shakib will not play cricket again after Hasina event

What the report says

Bangladesh’s sports ministry said former cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan has no path back to the national team after he took part by phone in a New Delhi media event featuring ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, according to Al Jazeera’s report on August 8, 2026. The minister for youth and sports, Aminul Haque, said the government had previously shown flexibility toward Shakib, but that his appearance alongside Hasina changed that position.

The report says Shakib, 39, is one of Bangladesh’s most prominent athletes and has played more than 400 international matches. It also notes that he has faced legal scrutiny in Bangladesh, where he is among people linked to murder investigations related to the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests that helped bring down Hasina’s administration.

Al Jazeera reported that Hasina is living in hiding in India after a court in Dhaka convicted her in absentia in 2025 on crimes against humanity charges. The article also says Shakib was in Sri Lanka and stated he would return to Bangladesh if his safety could be assured, including to face trial. He has separately expressed hope of playing again at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, but the government’s latest comments make a comeback appear unlikely.

The case matters because Shakib has long been a central figure in Bangladeshi sport, and his future now appears tied to the wider political fallout from Hasina’s removal and the ongoing legal proceedings around that period.