Bangladeshi cricket star Shakib Al Hasan, a former politician allied with ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has expressed readiness to return to Bangladesh from a two-year exile in the United States to face trial on charges including murder. He has stated he will only come back if the government guarantees his safety.

Shakib, 39, who has not retired from international cricket, hopes to play a farewell series in Bangladesh and represent the country at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, a one-day international tournament.

Since the overthrow of Hasina's government in a deadly student-led uprising in August 2024, Shakib has been living in the US. His potential return poses a test for Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government on whether it will accommodate figures from the former ruling party. Hasina herself has announced plans to return to Bangladesh in December despite having been sentenced to death.

In 2024, the then-interim government’s sports adviser, Asif Mahmud, stated that Shakib would be provided security like any other cricketer but urged him to clarify his political stance to ease public anger over his ties to Hasina’s Awami League. Mahmud also noted that Shakib had been the highest-taxed player for the past decade, had paid all taxes, and that his accounts had been frozen for a year and a half during investigations. He called for the release of Shakib’s accounts if no wrongdoing was found.

Shakib’s return and trial will be closely watched as a measure of the current government’s approach to former political figures.

Sources