Shakib will never play for the country again - Bangladesh's sports advisor

Asif Mahmud, Bangladesh's sports advisor, has declared that the country's premier all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan, will never play for the national team again.

Shakib, who served as an Awami League member of parliament from January to August last year before being ousted in a student-led revolution, has not been picked for the national side in the past 12 months. However, he has continued to feature in franchise leagues abroad while residing in the USA.

The advisor's declaration came after Shakib posted a birthday message on social media for deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday.

The fallout between the two dates back further. Without naming Shakib, Asif wrote on Facebook: "All of you have abused me a lot for not rehabilitating one person. But I was right. End of the discussion."

The post appeared shortly after Shakib's birthday wish to Hasina. The all-rounder hit back almost immediately:

"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," Shakib wrote on Facebook.

Speaking later to Dhaka-based Channel 24, Asif confirmed he would direct the BCB not to select Shakib again, saying the player was "intricately involved with Awami League's politics."

"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.

"The number of times he has asked to enter the country, to play for Bangladesh, he had said that the Awami League had given him the [2024 general election] nomination forcibly. He claimed that he was not involved in politics. He wanted to become an MP to work for the people of his area [Magura]. The truth, however, is that he is intricately involved in Awami League's politics."

Responding, Shakib clarified that his post for Hasina was personal, not political: "She [Hasina] has always followed cricket seriously - isn't that right? She 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 last played Tests against Pakistan and India in 2024. While he was effectively barred from international cricket during that period, this is the first time a government official has publicly confirmed the ban.