Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s premier all-rounder, has been absent from the national setup for quite some time. His last appearance for the Tigers came in a Test match against India in Kanpur in October. Prior to that, he featured in the ICC World Cup 2023, playing his final ODI against Sri Lanka, and last donned the T20I jersey against Afghanistan during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Following the political uprising in July–August 2024, the former Member of Parliament has been unable to return to Bangladesh. Although he has expressed a desire to retire in his home country, the political circumstances have so far prevented him from doing so. In the meantime, Shakib continues to play franchise cricket and is currently representing the Dubai Capitals in the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League.

His potential return to international cricket has once again become a topic of discussion, especially after a standout performance in the GSL opener, where he scored an unbeaten 58 off 37 balls and took 4 wickets for 13 runs against the Central Stags. However, he failed to replicate that form in the following game, managing just 7 runs off 10 deliveries and going wicketless against the Hobart Hurricanes.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh cricket is navigating a rough patch. The national team has lost six consecutive T20Is—against the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—along with recent Test and ODI series defeats to the Lankans.

Amid these struggles, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director and media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman Mithu spoke to reporters at Mirpur on Saturday about the possibility of Shakib’s return.

“Shakib Al Hasan is the greatest cricketer of Bangladesh. There is no second choice. The door is always open for him. It depends on the selectors and team management; they are the ones considering it,” Mithu said.

“I don’t know how it was handled before, but the current president has now given full responsibility to cricket operations, team management, and the selectors. It’s on their radar, and they will certainly look into it,” he added.

Despite the BCB’s welcoming stance, a national comeback still appears to be a distant possibility for the former captain for now.