Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan joins politics, may contest 2024 polls

Bangladesh cricketer and current captain of all formats Shakib Al Hasan has officially entered the political arena. Shakib has expressed his desire to participate in the upcoming general election on January 7 by seeking candidature from the ruling Bangladesh Awami League. Shakib is reported to have taken nomination forms from the party on Saturday to contest in three constituencies.

Announcing the news, Awami League joint secretary general Bahauddin Nasim told AFP that Shakib is very popular among the country’s youth. “He is a celebrity and has great popularity among the country’s youth,” said Nasim, welcoming the star all-rounder to politics. Although Shakib’s decision has been met with enthusiasm, the polls are set to be boycotted by major opposition parties.

The 36-year-old hopes to contest a seat either in his southwestern home district of Magura or in the capital Dhaka. Meanwhile, Shakib’s participation in the general election has to be confirmed by a ruling party parliamentary board headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. If the opposition boycott goes ahead, she is almost certain to return to power for a fourth time.

Is Shakib the first cricketer to enter politics during a playing career? 

Entering politics is not a new phenomenon for cricketers, but doing so during a playing career is rare. Notably, former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza joined politics in 2018 and was elected as a lawmaker from the ruling party. Mortaza captained Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup, before quitting sports to fully focus on politics.

Shakib led Bangladesh in the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the Asian side had to make an early exit after finishing eighth in the points table. The Tigers had a poor performance throughout the tournament but managed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Shakib suffered a finger injury during the World Cup match against Sri Lanka and had to sit out their last league match. He is yet to fully recover from it and as a result, he will be absent for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.