“If I get the clearance from the government that my security will be ensured, I am happy to go back, face the court trial and everything that’s needed to be done,” Shakib told Reuters on Friday. “I know I haven’t done anything. It’s a laughable case.”
Shakib’s recent appearance in a press conference alongside Sheikh Hasina, the deposed former Prime Minister who now lives in India, has caused outrage in Bangladesh. His house in Magura was attacked, while the country’s sports minister has said that they have now shifted from their earlier stance of “acceptance” about Shakib.
Hasina, who has been living in India, was sentenced to death in absentia over the crackdown on the Bangladesh protests that killed around 1,400 people, according to the United Nations. Shakib joined Hasina’s Awami League to become a member of parliament in the 2024 elections, after which he left the country in May to play in various franchise leagues.
Shakib defended his appearance in Hasina’s press conference saying that he was just following orders. “Whatever the captain says, we follow her,” he said. “I think they will decide it better, and we will follow the instructions given to us.”
“We were looking at things in a very flexible, very tolerant way,” Haque said in a statement. “After that (press conference), it doesn’t seem like there’s any room for that kind of thinking anymore.
“He has gotten into the stage with the dictator (Hasina), who is unlikely to return to the country. We were being tolerant about Shakib being a cricketer. Now that chance is gone. If he has to come, it has to be through the legal route.”
“I am feeling good, still enjoying the game, playing well also but age is not on my side at this moment, so I cannot wait for too long,” he said on Friday.
