Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan joins politics, to contest 2024 elections

DHAKA: Bangladesh cricket superstar Shakib Al Hasan has formally entered politics and will contest parliamentary elections as he received confirmation of his nomination from the ruling Awami League.

According to a report, Awami League joint secretary general Bahauddin Nasim confirmed the development, saying that the all-rounder took nomination forms on Saturday from the party to contest 2024 election.

Shakib Al Hasan will be contesting from the Magura-1 constituency, his home district, with the polls scheduled for January 7.

“He is a celebrity and has great popularity among the country’s youth,” Nasim said, welcoming the cricket all-rounder.

Shakib is currently recovering from a finger injury he sustained during the World Cup match against Sri Lanka on November 6. It is unclear yet when he will return to the field.

For unversed, Shakib Al Hasan is not the first one to enter into politics as the trend of a cricketer turning politician is nothing new in Bangladesh cricket.

Mashrafe Mortaza, the former Bangladesh captain, became an MP during the previous elections, from Narail.

Mashrafe got the nomination again this year and even though he was involved in community activities in his hometown for many years, Shakib has never really ventured into this sphere of public life.

Apart from Shakib and Mashrafe, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan has been an MP since 2009. He got the nomination once again from his Kishoreganj constituency.

The BCB director Shafiul Alam Chowdhury also got nomination for the Moulvibazar seat. Former Bangladesh captain Naimur Rahman, who was an incumbent MP, failed to secure the Manikganj seat for the upcoming elections.

At the cricket front, Shakib had declared before the World Cup that he wouldn’t continue as the ODI captain but he remains the T20I leader.