Shakib Al Hasan has successfully overturned his bowling ban and is once again allowed to bowl in competitive cricket, however, the uncertainties surrounding his international future are still very much present.

Shakib was handed a bowling ban by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in last year's December following a one-match stint for English County side Surrey.

The 37-year-old's first two attempts to clear his action in Loughborough and Chennai were unsuccessful but the all-rounder finally successfully passed an independent reassessment of his bowling in Loughborough University earlier this month.

But just because his ban has been lifted does not mean all doubts about his future with the Bangladesh cricket team has cleared up.

Shakib's international future was thrown into uncertainty before the ban, as he was unable to return to the country to play his farewell Test in Mirpur against South Africa in October last year due to security concerns linked with his involvement with the ousted Awami League regime.

He was not picked for the away assignment against Afghanistan in the UAE and the tour of West Indies and was subsequently excluded from the Champions Trophy squad, which was announced a month after Shakib's bowling ban was imposed.

Last year in September in Kanpur during Bangladesh's India tour, Shakib Al Hasan relayed his retirement plans from red-ball and white-ball formats. The all-rounder said he feels that he "had already played his final T20I in 2024 T20 World Cup" but could return to the format if the selectors deem his form and fitness up to the mark. He also mentioned that he plans to retire from the ODI format after playing in the Champions Trophy in 2025, but he was not considered for the tournament in Pakistan. Shakib's wish to bid adieu to Tests with a home game also did not happen as he could not return to the country for the South Africa series in October last year due to security concerns.

Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu had explained Shakib's exclusion from the Champions Trophy by saying, "when structuring the squad, we couldn't justify including him solely as a batter."

During the India tour last year, Shakib had said that he had already played his last T20I in the T20 World Cup held earlier that year, would like to retire with the Mirpur Test against the Proteas and then call time in ODIs with the Champions Trophy.

But after his Test and ODI swansong plans did not pan out, there has been no clear indication from the all-rounder about whether he is done with the Bangladesh team or not.

"He's been out of cricket and for someone to be in contention for the national team, the selectors may have to watch him play there [Dhaka Premier League]," a BCB official said on condition of anonymity.

Even after the bowling ban, Shakib could've played as an all-rounder in the ongoing DPL as it is a BCB-run domestic competition and had initially signed up for Legends of Rupganj before withdrawing his name the very next day.

"We haven't communicated with him. Although we built our team around him, since our games are nearing the end, we are thinking whether we should bring him or not," a Legends of Rupganj official said regarding their confusion on taking Shakib back in.

Due to Shakib's political history as a former MP from Awami League, it's also uncertain whether he can return to Bangladesh and play competitive cricket.

"If he can arrive in the country, then he will be able to physically attend the transfer procedure. So, till now the lifting of the ban doesn't mean anything," another Rupganj official said.