Bangladesh Rules Out Shakib Return After He Joins Hasina Media Event

Bangladesh have ruled out any prospect of former star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan 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. Bangladesh 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.