Shakib Al Hasan, one of Bangladesh's best-known cricketers and a former Awami League lawmaker, said he is ready to return to his home country to confront legal charges and to play his final international matches if the government provides explicit security assurances. Speaking by phone from Sri Lanka, where he is playing franchise cricket, the 39-year-old described his current exile in the United States and set out the conditions under which he would travel back to Bangladesh.
Shakib has been living in the United States since the government of Sheikh Hasina was toppled during a violent, student-led uprising in August 2024. Hasina, who has been residing in India, was later sentenced to death in absentia over the crackdown on the protests that the United Nations says killed about 1,400 people. Shakib said he remains committed to his country on the cricket field and off it, and that he hopes to play a farewell series at home and to represent Bangladesh at the 2027 one-day World Cup.
"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's needed to be done," he told Reuters in the interview. "I know I haven't done anything," he added, offering his most detailed public account yet of why he has spent two years outside Bangladesh.
Shakib framed his willingness to return as conditional on a formal guarantee of safety from the current government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Such a move would also test whether Mr. Rahman's administration will accept political figures tied to the previous ruling party - a question that remains unresolved even as Hasina has announced plans to return voluntarily to Bangladesh in December despite her sentence.
Shakib said he would prefer to return immediately but that, if necessary, he would attempt to travel back alongside Hasina. "Whatever the captain says, we follow her," he said, referring to Hasina's leadership of the Awami League and the decisions the party makes about timing and logistics. "I think they will decide it better, and we will follow the instructions given to us."
The cricketer defended his recent virtual participation in a press conference in Delhi alongside Hasina. He said his intervention called only for peace and for Bangladesh's progress. That same press event preceded an attack on his unoccupied residence in Bangladesh; Shakib said he had no regrets about speaking out and emphasized he had urged nonviolence.
He said he had made efforts to address the legal matters from abroad. Through a lawyer, he wrote to ministries responsible for the interior, law and sports under the previous interim government and to the police, seeking to have what he described as fabricated charges against him dropped, but he said he received no response.
Shakib said he wanted to speak directly with Prime Minister Rahman about conditions for his return. The cricketer's statement that he desired dialogue with the prime minister came as spokespeople for Rahman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On his cricketing future, Shakib said he is not planning to delay retirement for long. "I am playing most of the franchise leagues. I am feeling good, still enjoying the game, playing well also," he said. "But ... age is not on my side at this moment, so I cannot wait for too long." He underlined that he has not formally retired from international cricket and continues to entertain the possibility of a home farewell series and a spot at the 2027 World Cup.
The player's account also included an aborted return attempt in late 2024. Shakib said he boarded a flight to Bangladesh after receiving assurances from the interim government that security would be provided. From the airport lounge he phoned officials to confirm his travel, only to be told while en route to turn back. The flight diverted to Dubai and he subsequently returned to New York, where he resides on Long Island with his wife and three children. "I don’t know what changed in 12 hours," he said, noting that the trip had been planned over the prior 57 days.
A separate return plan later fell apart after he posted a birthday message for Hasina on social media, which authorities cited as the reason for denying his re-entry. "I don’t understand how that is the criteria for not letting me into Bangladesh," he said.
Shakib rejected prior advice that he should distance himself from Hasina and the Awami League to ease his return. "There is no way I will consider that," he said, emphasizing his political loyalties.
He confirmed that two legal cases are active against him. One alleges the killing of a protester during the uprising; according to Shakib, that case was filed on a day in August 2024 when he was playing a match in Toronto. The other case was brought by anti-corruption authorities and alleges corruption. He described the murder charge as "a laughable case," and said he has not yet appointed a defence lawyer.
Financially, Shakib said his bank accounts have been frozen for a year and a half while under investigation. He declined to name the banks or specify the amounts involved. Reflecting on his tax record, he noted that he has been one of the highest-taxed players for the prior decade and that his accounts have been inaccessible for an extended period: "When someone is the highest-taxed player for the last 10 years and paid all the taxes and everything and his account has been frozen for a year and a half for investigation," he said. "I will give you all the information you need, but if you don’t find anything, just release it."
The personal toll of exile also featured in Shakib's remarks. He said he has not seen his parents for two years. His parents remain in Bangladesh but have not been permitted to leave the country. "It’s been difficult for all of us, but we are surviving," he said.
Shakib's situation underscores the wider consequences of the political upheaval in Bangladesh since August 2024, when a wave of prosecutions followed the ouster of Hasina and left many of her allies facing criminal cases and unable to return. The cricket star's potential return would present a test of whether the current government opts to accommodate prominent figures from the former ruling party under specific security arrangements.
For now, Shakib is balancing franchise cricket commitments, family life in the United States and legal uncertainty while he weighs the conditions under which he will come back to Bangladesh to confront his cases and to pursue a farewell on the pitch.