It was heartbreaking to see a cricketer like Shakib Al Hasan, who is the top-ranked ODI all-rounder, getting ban for one year, especially during this crucial time when the Indian Premier League and the ICC T20I World Cup are in the lineup. However, Shakib Al Hasan failed to follow the rules and was thus, ruled out from the sport.
Shakib Al Hasan has been found guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. He was charged for not reporting the approaches from an alleged Indian bookie, Deepak Agarwal. And he made the same mistake not once but twice. Once it was during a tri-series among Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe in January 2018 and later, during the IPL in April 2018.
Following this, the ICC handed him the ban of two years (1 of which is suspended) with immediate effect from October 29. Shakib can return to international cricket only from October 29, 2020. Talking about the whole incident, Shakib Al Hasan said:
“I am obviously extremely sad to have been banned from the game I love, but I completely accept my sanction for not reporting the approaches. The ICC ACU is reliant on players to play a central part in the fight against corruption and I didn’t do my duty in this instance.”
Shakib Al Hasan said that like the majority of people, he also wants the sport to be corruption free. He said:
“Like the majority of players and fans around the world, I want cricket to be a corruption-free sport and I am looking forward to working with the ICC ACU team to support their education program and ensure young players don’t make the same mistake I did,”
Shakib said that he felt ashamed of the incident and wants his fans to support him like they have always done. He said:
“Those who have supported me over the years I hope they, the fans, Bangladesh Cricket Board, the government, the journalists will continue to support me in my bad and good time,”
