Shakib will never be allowed to play for Bangladesh: Sports adviser

Bangla Press Desk:   It seems the Shakib Al Hasan era in Bangladesh cricket has come to an end. Though Shakib has not announced his retirement, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan has confirmed that he will no longer be allowed to represent Bangladesh in the red-and-green jersey.

Speaking to private television Channel24 over the phone on Monday night, Asif made the declaration following a heated exchange on social media.

Asif said he would instruct Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) not to allow Shakib to play for Bangladesh again.

The dispute began after Shakib posted a picture with ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, wishing her a happy birthday on Monday. What followed was a series of heated but indirect Facebook posts, with neither side naming the other outright. Asif wrote that he had been right not to "rehabilitate" Shakib, while the cricketer countered that it was Asif who had prevented him from wearing the national jersey.

Asif later elaborated: "He cannot be allowed to carry the Bangladesh flag. Wearing the Bangladesh jersey is not something I can possibly approve… Shakib Al Hasan will never play for Bangladesh again."

He accused Shakib of being "deeply tied" to Awami League politics, despite the all-rounder's insistence that he only contested elections to serve his constituency.

Shakib, elected MP for Magura in the 12th national polls, has remained abroad since last year's July-August uprising that ousted the Awami League, and faces a murder case, stock market fraud allegations, and Anti-Corruption Commission charges.

Asif pointed to these issues as reasons why Shakib could not be brought back into the fold. "Why should someone be rehabilitated just because he's a good cricketer? The law is equal for all. Face it," he wrote in one of several posts.

BP/SP