Srinagar: Bangladesh’s sports advisor Asif Mahmud has declared that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will not be allowed to wear the Bangladesh jersey again following his social media post on Sunday.
On Sunday, September 28, Shakib wished the former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, on her birthday in a social media post
Following Shakib’s post, Asif replied without mentioning the all-rounder’s name and reaffirmed his stance on not allowing him to play for Bangladesh.
“All of you have abused me a lot for not rehabilitating one person. But I was right. End of the discussion,” he said in a post, which later became unavailable on his Facebook page.
Shakib Al Hasan also replied to Asif’s remarks and hoped to represent Bangladesh again in the future.
“So someone has finally accepted that it’s because of him that I can never put on the Bangladesh jersey again, because of whom I can’t play for Bangladesh again. Maybe I will return to my motherland one day. Love you, Bangladesh,” said Shakib.
Following this, the sports advisor spoke to a private channel, in which he stated his views regarding Shakib’s political involvement.
“We cannot let him carry the Bangladesh flag,” Asif said. “It won’t be possible for me to allow him to wear the Bangladesh jersey. Maybe I haven’t told the BCB before, but now my clear direction for the BCB would be that Shakib Al Hasan can never again play for Bangladesh.
Shakib Al Hasan did not hold back and explained the reason behind wishing the former prime minister.
“[Hasina] was deeply involved with cricket. We had a relationship through that, even before politics. I wished her from that point of view. There was no other motive, or trying to instigate anyone,” Shakib Al Hasan said.
Shakib Al Hasan last represented Bangladesh in the Test series against India in October 2024. He has one of the most distinguished careers in Bangladesh cricket, having played 71 Test matches, 247 ODIs, and 129 T20Is.
Throughout his career, he has scored 14,730 runs and taken 712 wickets across all formats.
