Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan to contest in parliamentary elections

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan will contest in the country's 12th parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place on January 7. He received confirmation of his nomination from the ruling Awami League and will contest from his home district Magura-1 constituency.

It isn't the first time a Bangladesh player has ventured into politics. Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza became an MP during previous elections from Narail. Mortaza received a nomination again this year. Similarly, BCB President Nazmul Hassan became an MP in 2009.

Despite being involved in community activities in his hometown for many years, Shakib has never actively ventured into the political sphere. This is the first time he is actively joining politics.

The BCB director, Shafiul Alam Chowdhury, also received a nomination for the Moulvibazar seat. Another former Bangladesh captain, Naimur Rahman, who was an incumbent MP, failed to secure the Manikganj seat for the upcoming elections.

Among international cricketers, it is also quite rare for active players to enter politics. Before Shakib and Mashrafe, Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya ran for public office in the 2010 general elections.

Shakib is currently recovering from a finger injury he sustained during the World Cup match against Sri Lanka. The injury forced him to miss Bangladesh's final game against Australia.

While the 36-year-old confirmed his non-continuing as the ODI captain before the 2023 World Cup, he remains Bangladesh's T20I skipper. With the side building up to the 2024 T20 World Cup in June, how Shakib manages between cricket and his first political campaign remains to be seen.

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Bangladesh had a forgettable 2023 World Cup campaign

The Tigers endured a dismal time in India.

Things haven't been smooth sailing for Shakib Al Hasan on the field, with Bangladesh enduring a dismal 2023 World Cup campaign. His off-field controversy with veteran batter Tamim Iqbal ensured Bangladesh entered the tournament with turmoil.

With the absence of Tamim at the top of the order, the side won only two of the nine games and finished eighth on the points table. Shakib was in horrific form with bat and ball, scoring only 186 runs at an average of 26.57 and picking up nine wickets in the seven games he played.

Bangladesh's lowest point of the World Cup came when they suffered an embarrassing 87-run defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in Kolkata.

Things further worsened for Shakib when he withheld a timed-out appeal of Angelo Matthews in the Sri Lanka clash, drawing several criticisms. However, victory in that game was among the few bright spots for Bangladesh as it helped them at least qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.