Shakib Al Hasan responds to sports adviser Asif’s Facebook status

Both posted statuses on Facebook, neither naming names. But hardly anyone has had trouble understanding who is referring to whom.

These two individuals are Asif Mahmud Shajib Bhuiyan, adviser for youth and sports, and the other is Bangladesh's all-time best cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib is also a former Awami League Member of Parliament.

Let's look at what these two wrote on Facebook yesterday, Sunday, around 10:00 pm, Sports adviser Asif Mahmud posted a status on his Facebook: "You all sent me thousands of abuses for not reinstating someone. But I was right. End of the discussion."

The sports adviser did not mention who that person was, but those active on social media assume Asif Mahmud's was indicating Shakib Al Hasan.

Why? Because yesterday, around 9:00 pm, Shakib posted a picture on Facebook where he is seen with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled after the mass uprising last year. In the photo caption, Shakib wrote, "Happy Birthday, Apa."

Now let's go back to an earlier incident. Last year, during the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in the student-people's uprising on 5 August, Shakib was in Canada.

Since then, Shakib, who was elected a Member of Parliament in the 12th parliamentary election with the boat symbol, has not been able to return to the country.

Like many others, there is a murder case against Shakib, there are allegations of share market scandal against him, and there is a case from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Although he played in the Test series held in Pakistan and India immediately after the mass uprising, Shakib is now outside the national team due to his inability to return home.

Last year, when he wanted to return home in October to play the final Test of his career against South Africa, this sparked off a huge commotion.

While on his way to the country via Dubai to join the team, Shakib, not receiving the green signal from the government in Dhaka, returned to the United States midway.

It was believed that the sports adviser played a major role in preventing Shakib from returning home at that time.

This has been clarified further today by Asif Mahmud's Facebook status. Many social media users believe that when Asif Mahmud referred to ''not reinstating someone", he meant Shakib.

It was evident that Shakib also understood. In a subsequent status he posted around 11:20 pm Bangladesh time, Shakib wrote on Facebook, "'Well, finally someone admitted that because of him, I couldn't wear the Bangladesh jersey again and couldn't play for Bangladesh!"

Shakib ended the status by writing, "Maybe, I will return to my motherland someday, I love Bangladesh."