Shakib al Hasan (Photo Source: Twitter)
Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will be contesting the parliamentary elections after he received confirmation of his nomination from the ruling Awami League, as per an ESPNcricinfo report. The 36-year-old will contest from his home district, the Magura-1 constituency. The polls for the same are scheduled for January 7, 2024. The veteran all-rounder is currently recovering from a finger injury that he sustained in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023.
Notably, Shakib is not the first one to enter into the domain of politics as the trend of a cricketer turning politician is nothing new in Bangladesh cricket – BCB president Nazmul Hassan has been a MP since 2009 after he got the nomination from the Kishoreganj constituency while BCB director Shafiul Alam Chowdhury has a nomination for the Moulvibazar seat. Furthermore, former Bangladesh cricketer Mashrafe Mortaza became an MP during the previous elections and got the nomination this year as well.
Meanwhile, with Bangladesh all set to tour New Zealand for a multi-format series, there are questions whether Shakib will be available for the side after the end of his political campaign.
Bangladesh look to make amends after below-par World Cup
Bangladesh will be facing New Zealand in a multi-format series from November 28 as the two sides will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is. After playing the two Tests at home, Bangladesh will travel to New Zealand for the white-ball series, which will be played between December 11 to 31.
It could be interesting to see how Bangladesh fare against New Zealand after their poor campaign in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023. Led by Shakib, Bangladesh were eliminated in the group stage of the tournament as they once again failed to make it to the knockout stages. The side lost seven games, with their only two victories coming against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, however, managed to secure a 2025 Champions Trophy berth by the virtue of finishing at the eighth spot in the points table.