Bangladesh says star cricketer Shakib can return

DHAKA: Bangladesh cricket chiefs have reopened the door for ex-captain Shakib Al Hasan’s return, a star player but who was also a lawmaker in the former ruling party overthrown in a 2024 uprising.

Shakib’s links to ousted leader Sheikh Hasina made him a target of public anger, and he was among dozens facing murder investigations for a deadly police crackdown on protesters.

The all-rounder announced his retirement from international cricket in 2024, but said he would like to reverse that decision last month.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) senior official Amzad Hossain said he could play again.

“The board has taken a unanimous decision that if Shakib Al Hasan’s availability, fitness and accessibility allow it – and if he can be present at the venue where matches are played – then the board and the selection panel will consider him for the national team,” Hossain told reporters late Saturday.

He added that the BCB would issue Shakib no-objection certificates (NOC) to play in overseas leagues.

“If he wants to participate in other global tournaments, the board will provide him NOC as required,” Amzad added.

Shakib had earlier apologised for remaining silent during the student-led uprising but defended his decision to serve the regime it toppled.

Bangladesh cricket is reeling from being kicked out of next month’s T20 World Cup, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday replaced Bangladesh with Scotland.

The BCB had refused to send its players to India and pleaded for games to be shifted to co-host Sri Lanka.

The dispute between New Delhi and Dhaka erupted this month when the Indian cricket board ordered the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

The ICC said it had found no credible security threat to Bangladesh in India, but the BCB said the matter was beyond their control.

“This is a government decision taken on security grounds,” Amzad said. “Because of that, there was nothing more we could do.”

Shakib was playing in a domestic Twenty20 cricket competition in Canada when Hasina’s government collapsed and has not returned to Bangladesh since.

The left-arm allrounder has played 71 Tests, 247 one-day internationals and 129 Twenty20s for Bangladesh, taking a combined 712 wickets.