Bangladesh say Shakib will not play cricket again after Hasina event

Shakib Al Hasan says he will return home to face trial if safety assured, but Bangladesh rule out cricket comeback.Bangladesh have said 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 she was forced from power following a deadly crackdown on student-led protests.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Argentina and Mexico back Infantino, deepening FIFA divide: What to knowlist 2 of 4Infantino, FIFA try to move beyond botched World Cup sell-off: What we knowlist 3 of 4UEFA’s threatened legal action against Infantino and FIFA: What we knowlist 4 of 4UEFA confirms legal letter served to FIFA after Infantino’s World Cup planend of listBangladesh Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said the government had previously taken a more open approach towards Shakib, who was a politician for Hasina’s former ruling Awami League party.Shakib, who is currently in Sri Lanka, was among dozens facing murder investigations for a deadly police crackdown on protesters that 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, 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 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.