Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh and face trial in murder case

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has said that he’s ready to return to his country and face his pending court cases if provided security by the government. Shakib hasn’t returned to Bangladesh since May 2024 and is currently playing for Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League 2026 (LPL 2026).

Charges have been filed against the former Bangladesh captain, along with 147 people, in connection with an alleged murder during the protests in Bangladesh in 2024. Shakib brushed off the case as laughable, claiming his innocence.

"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 needs to be done. I know I haven't done anything. It's a laughable case,” Shakib was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Shakib recently attended a media interaction addressed virtually by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from Delhi, following which his house was attacked in Bangladesh. Shakib had joined Hasina's party Awami League to become a member of parliament in the 2024 elections.

However, the former Bangladesh Prime Minister fled the country in 2024 and has been sentenced to death in absentia over the crackdown on the Bangladesh protests that killed around 1,400 people, according to the United Nations.

Shakib defended his attendance in press conference, saying he was just following Hasina’s orders.

"Whatever the captain says, we follow her. I think they will decide it better, and we will follow the instructions given to us,” said Shakib.

Bangladesh sports minister backtracks on his support for Shakib

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s sports minister, Aminul Haque, has also changed his views regarding Shakib after earlier saying that he would help fast-track his cases.

"We were looking at things in a very flexible, very tolerant way. 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,” Haque said in a statement.

Shakib, who last played for his country during the second Test against India in October 2024 in Kanpur, had expressed his desire to play one last series in front of his home crowd in Bangladesh, before retiring from international cricket. In the ongoing Lanka Premier League 2026, he has contributed in Jaffna Kings’ run to the final, having scalped nine wickets from eight innings, along with scoring 32 runs from three innings.