BCB says the door is still open for Shakib to play for Bangladesh

The BCB has kept the door open for Shakib Al Hasan's return to the Bangladesh team, according to board director Iftekhar Rahman.

Iftekhar was asked about Shakib's return to national colours mainly in the wake of Bangladesh's current downturn in form. They recently lost 2-1 to UAE in the T20I series in Sharjah, before heading to Pakistan to play another three-match T20I series.

"Shakib will always be in the consideration of the selectors and the team management," Iftekhar said on Monday. "He is an asset for any team. He is a world-class cricketer. He has just returned after correcting his bowling action so our team management will keep track of him. It is definitely not [the end of our association with Shakib]. He has only played a few matches after his suspension. Let him play a few more matches, I think then we can answer the question [of his return]."

Shakib, 38, returned to competitive cricket after nearly six months when he turned out for Lahore Qalandars for three games in PSL 2025 last week. Two months before that, Shakib had been cleared to bowl in top-level cricket after the ECB cleared his action, having reported him in December last year after he had appeared for Surrey.

The BCB has also kept its distance from Shakib since October last year. That's when Shakib had last played for Bangladesh, the second Test against India in Kanpur. Shakib had announced before that match that he wanted to finish his Test career at home, against South Africa in October, and that he was also done with T20Is.

Political unrest in Bangladesh, however, stopped Shakib from making that final appearance since he was a member of parliament for the Awami League, the political party that was ousted from power on August 5, after their rule of 15 years. Shakib has not returned to Bangladesh since then and the BCB continued to ignore him in the subsequent series, also leaving him out of the Champions Trophy squad. By then, the ECB had found Shakib's bowling action questionable.

Nearly two months after his bowling action was cleared, Shakib played turned out in three matches for Qalandars in their victorious campaign, although he bagged two ducks in as many innings and picked just one wicket.

There are growing concerns around Bangladesh's returns, especially as experienced players like Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah have retired from all formats, while Mushfiqur Rahim is only available for Tests. Shakib's situation is in limbo, as he has technically still not retired from ODIs, a format in which Bangladesh recently slipped to No. 10 in the ICC team rankings.

"It is a relatively new team without the four senior players [Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah]," Iftekhar said. "There's a void in the team. I think we have the talent among the current crop of players but they lack application. I have said it before, but the more they play, the better they will get. I think the position that we are in right now, the only way to go is up."