The ruling Awami League in Bangladesh has nominated Bangladesh Captain Shakib Al Hasan to contest in the country’s 12th parliamentary elections. Shakib will contest in the Magura-1 constituency, which happens to be his home district, in the election that is scheduled to take place on January 7.
Shakib Al Hasan will not be playing in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand due to a finger injury. The Bangladesh veteran is currently recovering from a finger injury he sustained during the World Cup match against Sri Lanka on November 6, and it is unclear when he will be able to return to the field.
In South Asia, where cricket is a significant sport, players have always dabbled in politics, but doing so while remaining a player is unusual. However, former cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza entered politics in 2018 and was elected to the ruling party’s legislature that same year. He also captained the national team in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
Shakib Al Hasan will follow the former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who won an MP seat in the last elections. Mashrafe was nominated again this year, and although Shakib is extensively involved in community activities in his neighbourhood, he has never completely ventured into the realm of public life. Nevertheless, in Bangladesh, the line between cricket and politics is becoming increasingly blurred.
Apart from Shakib and Mashrafe, Nazmul Hassan, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has been serving in Parliament since 2009. Hassan has been nominated by his Kishoreganj constituency once again. Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, a director in the BCB, was also nominated for the Moulvibazar seat. However, Naimur Rahman, a former Bangladesh cricket captain and current MP, was unable to secure the Manikganj seat in the upcoming elections.
Although Shakib was a significant part of Bangladesh’s successful World Cup campaign in England, where he scored over 600 runs and was one of the tournament’s leading run-scorers, he could not make an impact for the team in the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The Bangladesh Tigers are struggling to live up to the expectations of cricket fans in the ODI World Cup. Shakib Al Hasan has previously considered retiring from international cricket one format at a time. Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign has been a misery in sub-continental conditions. The team lost seven games in the main event and only won against opponents from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. However, they have qualified for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
