Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan banned for two years

ICC has banned Bangladesh Test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan from all cricket for two years.

Dubai: Bangladesh's veteran all-rounder and Test & T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan has been suspended for two years by the International Cricket Council for not reporting a corrupt approach. The 32-year-old accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

The charges are as follows:

• Article 2.4.4 – Failure to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct - in relation to the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Tri-Series in January 2018 and / or the 2018 IPL.
• Article 2.4.4 – Failure to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct - in relation to a second approach in respect of the Tri-Series in January 2018.
• Article 2.4.4 – Failure to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct - in relation to an IPL 2018 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kings XI Punjab on 26 April 2018.

Shakib has been handed a full ban for a year and a 12-month suspended sentence. Subject to him satisfying the conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, he will be free to resume international cricket on 29 October 2020.

The ban also rules him out of the tour of India which starts November 3.

The all-rounder was being kept away from team’s practice on ICC’s instructions. The series against India comprises three T20 Internationals and two Tests.

“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 said in a media release of the ICC.

“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 programme and ensure young players don’t make the same mistake I did,” he added.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager - Integrity said: “Shakib Al Hasan is a highly experienced international cricketer. He has attended many education sessions and knows his obligations under the Code. He should have reported each of these approaches.

He will miss next year’s Indian Premier League and also the World T20 to be held in Australia from 18 October to 15 November 2020.

File image of Bangladesh cricket team

Two years ago, a bookie had approached Shakib with an offer before an international match, which he did not report to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU).

The ban will compound the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) problems ahead of the tour of India.

In his absence, senior-most player Mushfiqur Rahim might lead the team in Tests while one among Mahmudullah Riyadh Mosaddek Hosain is set to be the skipper in the three T20 Internationals.

Shakib recently spearheaded a players’ strike before calling it off after the BCB assured that their demands, including a pay hike, will be fulfilled.

He is unarguably one of the greats of the game in Bangladesh with more than 11,000 runs and over 500 wickets across three formats.