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Superstar cricketer Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh has
officially entered politics and is requesting the ruling Bangladesh Awami
League’s nomination to contest in the general election scheduled for January 7.
Bahauddin Nasim, the joint secretary general of the Awami League, told AFP that
Shakib received nomination forms from the party on Saturday in order to run in
three constituencies.
The polls are set to be boycotted by major opposition
parties.
“He is a celebrity and has great popularity among
the country’s youth,” Nasim said, welcoming the cricket all-rounder.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s parliamentary board for
the ruling party must approve Shakib’s candidature.
According to Nasim, he intends to run for office in
the capital city of Dhaka or in his native district of Magura, which is in the
southwest.
In South Asia, where cricket is a huge sport, players
have always dabbled in politics. That being said, it is uncommon to do so while
still a player.
However, Mashrafe Mortaza, a former cricket captain,
entered politics in 2018 and was chosen to serve as a member of the ruling
party’s legislature that same year.
Bangladesh’s normal captain in all three forms,
Shakib, will not be playing in the next Test series against New Zealand due to
a finger injury.