Bangladesh sports minister Aminul Haque to expedite cases involving Shakib and Mortaza

Bangladesh's newly appointed sports minister, Aminul Haque, has said that the government of the country will expedite the cases involving Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan. Mortaza and Shakib, two former members of the Awami League, are currently embroiled in several cases that were lodged against them following the student uprising that led to the ouster of the former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Notably, Tariq is one of the 49 newly appointed central and state ministers following the general elections that saw the victory of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

"The government will deal with the matter concerning Shakib and Mashrafe. We will remain tolerant and flexible on them," Haque was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. "The cases against them will be handled by the government. We want Shakib to return [to Bangladesh]. We hope those will be resolved swiftly so they can return. We also want Shakib and Mashrafe back in Bangladesh cricket."

Shakib's last appearance for Bangladesh came against India in a Test match in Kanpur in September-October 2024. He has not been considered for selection since then and has not returned to Bangladesh since May 2024.

During his appearance on the Beard Before Wicket podcast hosted by Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in December, Shakib revealed that he wanted to retire from international cricket after playing a full series in Bangladesh. 

"I am officially not retired from all formats. This is the first time I'll be revealing that. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, Test, and T20, and retire," Shakib had said during his appearance on the Beard Before Wicket podcast. "I mean, [I can] retire from all formats in a series. So it can start from T20I, ODI, and Test, or Test, ODI, T20I. Either way, I'm fine, but I want to play a whole series and retire. That's what I want."

On the other hand, Mortaza, who last played an international match in 2020, has kept a very low profile and hasn't made any public appearances since August 2024.