Bangladesh’s interim rulers have declared that the country’s greatest cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan, will never play for the national team again after a public spat triggered by a birthday message to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The controversy began on Sunday when Shakib, 38, posted a picture with Hasina on social media, referring to her as “appa” (elder sister) and wishing her a happy birthday. Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh for 15 years before being forced to resign during mass student protests in August 2024, fled to India and has lived in exile since.

Shakib, a former Awami League member of parliament, has not returned to Bangladesh since the agitation began last July. While he has retired from T20Is and largely stepped away from Tests, he still plays ODI cricket and is widely regarded as Bangladesh’s finest-ever player.

Government’s Hard Line

On Monday, Asif Mahmud, sports adviser to the interim government, told Dhaka-based Channel 24 that Shakib would never again don the red and green jersey. “We cannot let him carry the Bangladesh flag,” Mahmud said. “It won’t be possible for me to allow him to wear the Bangladesh jersey. My clear direction for the BCB is that Shakib Al Hasan can never again play for Bangladesh.”

Mahmud accused the all-rounder of being “deeply entangled” with Awami League politics, dismissing Shakib’s claim that he had only contested elections to serve his constituency in Magura.

Social Media Spat

Before his television remarks, Mahmud appeared to respond to Shakib on Facebook, writing: “All of you have abused me a lot for not rehabilitating one person. But I was right. End of the discussion.”

Shakib fired 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.”

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Shakib Defends Birthday Post

Speaking later, Shakib defended his message to Hasina, insisting it had no political intent. “She has always followed cricket seriously. We had a relationship through that even before politics,” Shakib told Channel 24. “I wished her from that point of view. There was no other motive.”

A Cricketer in Exile

Shakib last played for Bangladesh in late 2024 against Pakistan and India but has since been left out of the national side. He continues to feature in franchise leagues abroad, spending much of his time in the USA.

The interim government has also confirmed that the cricketer is under federal investigation for allegedly embezzling over £15 million from the stock market, further clouding his chances of a comeback.

For now, the man who has carried Bangladesh cricket for nearly two decades appears to have played his last match for the country, not because of his form or fitness, but due to politics far beyond the cricket field.