Bangladesh cricket sensation Shakib Al Hasan has officially ventured into politics by seeking a nomination from the ruling Bangladesh Awami League for the upcoming general election on January 7. Bahauddin Nasim, the joint secretary general of the Awami League, informed AFP that Shakib acquired nomination forms on November 18 to contest in three constituencies. Notably, the impending polls are expected to face a boycott from significant opposition parties.
"He is a celebrity and has great popularity among the country's youth," Nasim said, welcoming the cricket all-rounder.
Shakib's candidacy awaits confirmation from a ruling party parliamentary board led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He expresses a desire to contest a seat, either in his home district of Magura in the southwest or in the capital, Dhaka, as stated by Nasim.
Over the past 15 years, Hasina has governed the South Asian nation of approximately 170 million people and faced allegations of wielding authoritarian control. Despite concerns about democratic regression from Western nations, she is widely expected to secure a fourth term if the opposition's boycott materialises.
While Hasina has overseen notable economic growth, criticisms of democratic decline and accusations of vote-rigging in the last two polls have been voiced by the opposition. In South Asia, it's not uncommon for cricketers to enter politics, given the sport's immense popularity, but doing so during an active playing career is relatively rare.
However, in 2018, former cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza entered politics and successfully became a lawmaker from the ruling party in the same year. Mortaza, who led Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup, eventually retired from cricket to fully dedicate himself to his political role.
Meanwhile, Shakib, who serves as Bangladesh's regular captain across all three formats, is presently recovering from a finger injury, leading to his absence in the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.
The injury occurred during World Cup match against Sri Lanka, where Shakib garnered attention for an unusual appeal against Angelo Mathews, resulting in international cricket's first-ever timed out.
Ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand, Najmul Hossain Shanto was appointed as the captain of the Bangladesh cricket team on November 18. The series is set to commence on November 28 in Sylhet.
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