Can BCB really erase Shakib Al Hasan’s cricket records?

Published : Saturday, 8 August, 2026 at 6:08 PM

Observer Online Desk

Collected Photo

Bangladesh’s cricket records may be at the centre of a growing political controversy involving the country’s biggest cricket star, Shakib Al Hasan. Former interim government Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has called on the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to erase Shakib’s records, statistics and achievements from history over his alleged political support for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. But can a cricket board actually delete the on-field records of an international player?

Shakib, Bangladesh’s leading wicket-taker in international cricket and third on the country’s all-time run-scoring list, recently told Reuters that he was willing to return to Bangladesh and face the courts if he was assured of security. He also expressed his desire to play a farewell series before retiring from international cricket.

The controversy began after Shakib’s Reuters interview. Following the interview, Shafiqul Alam wrote on Facebook that the BCB should remove Shakib’s records and statistics from cricket history, arguing that someone who publicly supports a person he described as responsible for mass killings should not have a place in history.

Shakib has been living in the United States since Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and left Bangladesh in August 2024 following the student-led mass uprising. As a former Awami League lawmaker, he faces several allegations, including a murder case. In the Reuters interview, Shakib described the allegations against him as baseless.

Government position on Shakib

The government’s position on Shakib’s return to international cricket also appears clear. Youth and Sports Minister Aminul Haque told Cricbuzz that he sees no opportunity for Shakib to return to Bangladesh or play for the national team.

BCB director Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir has also taken a similar position, saying that after Shakib participated in a virtual press conference with Hasina, his political identity had become more prominent than his identity as a cricketer.

Can Shakib’s records actually be erased?

The central question is whether a cricket board can simply erase the records of an international player. There are examples in sports history of athletes losing titles and having results annulled, but such decisions are generally linked to violations of sporting rules, such as doping or match-fixing.

A prominent example is cyclist Lance Armstrong. After evidence of systematic doping emerged, the International Cycling Union stripped him of his seven Tour de France titles in 2012 and imposed a lifetime ban.

Cricket has also seen players suspended for integrity-related violations. Shakib himself was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2019 for failing to disclose approaches from a bookmaker. However, that suspension did not erase his previous runs, wickets or other performances.

There is no established ICC or BCB mechanism for deleting a player’s on-field statistics simply because of their political views or political affiliation. Shakib’s Test, ODI and T20I records are also preserved across international cricket databases and independent statistical platforms, as well as in media archives and cricket history records.

Even criminal allegations do not, by themselves, normally provide a basis for rewriting a player’s sporting statistics. A criminal case and the validity of performances recorded on the field are separate matters.

What can the BCB do?

The BCB can decide not to select a player for the national team, exclude him from future squads or make decisions concerning official honours and recognition. However, removing his historical performances from the record books would be a fundamentally different matter.

Political controversies have affected cricketers before. During the apartheid era, South African players were excluded from international cricket, and several prominent players were denied opportunities to play international matches. However, their existing cricket records were not simply erased from the history of the sport.

What lies ahead for Shakib?

Shakib’s international future remains uncertain. Now 39, he has previously expressed his ambition to play in the 2027 World Cup, while also hoping to return home for a farewell series.

His attempts to return to Bangladesh have faced complications. He was previously stopped while attempting to return through Dubai, while another planned return reportedly fell through after a social-media birthday message concerning Hasina.

Although Shakib has now expressed his willingness to return and face legal proceedings if security is guaranteed, the sports minister has said he sees no path for him to return to the national team because of his political position.

For now, therefore, the bigger question may not be whether Shakib’s records can be erased, they are part of the historical record of international cricket but whether he will ever get the opportunity to add to them or play his long-awaited farewell series on home soil.

-HIS