Shakib Al Hasan says he will return to Bangladesh if safe

Shakib Al Hasan said he is ready to return to Bangladesh and face trial if the authorities can guarantee his security, putting the former captain and Awami League lawmaker at the center of the country’s post-Hasina political reckoning.

His statement came as the fallout around his political ties sharpened. Shakib’s home was attacked after he joined Sheikh Hasina’s first public media event since her ouster, with windows smashed and petrol bombs hurled at the property. The attack underscored the risks around his possible return, especially for a player whose public life has long overlapped with party politics.

The legal pressure has grown alongside the security fears. A Dhaka magistrate court ordered the seizure of Shakib’s assets after an arrest warrant was issued against him in January 2026. He is also among dozens facing murder investigations tied to the deadly police crackdown on protesters that helped bring down Hasina’s government. Hasina herself faced a major legal blow on Oct. 17, 2024, when a Bangladesh crimes tribunal issued an arrest warrant for the exiled former prime minister.

Shakib has not returned to Bangladesh since May 2024, and he was in Canada playing in a domestic Twenty20 tournament when Hasina’s government collapsed. The timing has only deepened the political symbolism of his case: one of Bangladesh’s most prominent cricketers, a former national captain, is now being pulled into the same accountability drive that has ensnared figures from the old order.

The cricketer’s future in the game is also tied to the question of whether he can come back safely. Shakib has discussed the possibility of a farewell series if he can return, a reminder that his situation is not only about legal exposure but also about how Bangladesh’s cricketing public will receive him. His absence has already lasted more than two years, and his return now appears contingent on both security guarantees and the path his cases take in court.