DHAKA / DUBAI – Bangladesh captain and world number one ODI all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was on Tuesday handed a two-year suspension by the ICC for failing to report three corrupt approaches, including one at the IPL, by a suspected Indian bookie, ousting him from the upcoming tour of India.
Twelve months of that ban is a suspended sentence which will come into effect if Shakib fails to comply with the anti-corruption code of the world body.
The one-year ban that he has to serve will keep him out of next year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the World T20 to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 the same year.
“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,” said Shakib, who is currently at No. 3, No. 1 and No. 2 in the ICC allrounders’ rankings for Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively.
“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,” he said in a statement issued by the ICC.
In his absence, senior-most player Mushfiqur Rahim might lead Bangladesh in Tests while one among Mahmudullah Riyadh or Mosaddek Hosain is set to be the skipper in the three T20 Internationals.
The 32-year-old was being kept away from the team’s ongoing practice sessions before the India tour on ICC’s instructions. The series against India comprises three T20 Internationals and two Tests and gets underway in New Delhi with the shortest format games on November 3.
Shakib was spoken to by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit in January and August this year and he failed to report the approaches made to him by “an individual known to the ACU and suspected of involvement in corruption in cricket, Deepak Aggarwal.”
The ICC said Aggarwal had asked Shakib to provide information on team composition and strategy on three separate occasions, one of them being April 26, 2018 when his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad was to take on Kings XI Punjab. Sunrisers won the game by 13 runs.
“These messages on 26 April 2018 included a number of deleted messages. He confirmed that these deleted messages contained requests from Mr Aggarwal for Inside Information,” the ICC stated.
Aggarwal’s other two approaches were during the Bangladesh Premier League when Shakib was playing for Dhaka Dynamites in 2017, followed by the tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in January 2018.
Aggarwal, the ICC said, wanted to meet Shakib but the cricketer didn’t oblige as “he had concerns over Mr Aggarwal, feeling he was a bit ‘dodgy’, and that, following their conversations, he had the feeling that Mr Aggarwal was a bookie,” it added.
Shakib, who escaped the maximum punishment of five years for the offence, will not have the right to appeal as he accepted the ICC’s investigation and charges.
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. He has played 56 Test, 206 ODIs and 76 T20I and had headed the ICC all-rounder rankings in all three formats numerous times since 2009.
The ICC said while Shakib’s voluntary admission, cooperation during interviews worked in his favour, the fact that he failed to report advances made over months was an “aggravating” factor.
“Mr Al Hasan (Shakib) is an experienced international cricketer who, having participated in several anti-corruption education sessions, was fully aware of his responsibilities under the Code,” the world body said in its judgement.
Shakib, who had amassed over 600 runs and picked up 11 wickets at the recent ODI World Cup in England, was handed a six-month suspension by the BCB in 2014 following a spat with former Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha regarding his Caribbean Premier League (CPL) commitments, and for his involvement in a brawl with a spectator during an ODI against India in Dhaka.
Shakib made a mistake, BCB will stand by him: Bangladesh PM
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the country’s Cricket Board on Tuesday offered support to suspended all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, insisting that his failure to report corrupt approaches was a mistake from which he will learn and bounce back as a wiser player.
Shakib, Bangladesh’s Test and T20 captain and the world’s No.1 all-rounder in ODIs, was on Tuesday handed a two-year suspension by the ICC for failing to report three corrupt approaches, including one at the IPL, by a suspected Indian bookie, ousting him from the upcoming tour of India.
Twelve months of that ban is a suspended sentence which will come into effect if the 32-year-old fails to comply with the anti-corruption code of the world body.
The one-year ban that he has to serve will keep him out of next year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the World T20 to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 the same year.
“It’s clear that Shakib has made a mistake and he’s realised that,” Hasina was quoted as saying by bdnews24.com.
“There’s nothing much the government can do about the ICC’s decision but BCB will stand by him,” she added.
The ban comes as a huge blow for Bangladesh cricket ahead of their much-anticipated tour of India, which comprises three T20 Internationals and two Tests, beginning with the shortest format games on November 3.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), however, said that doors will be opened for Shakib once his ban ends.
“We hope he will come back as a better and wiser cricketer and serve Bangladesh for many more years when his sanction will be over,” BCB said in a statement.
“During the suspension the BCB will continue to support his efforts at returning to cricket.
“The BCB respects the ICC’s decision and shares similar sentiments against corruption in cricket.”
Mahmudullah, Mominul handed T20 and Test captaincy after Shakib’s ban
Mahmudullah Riyad and Mominul Haque were on Tuesday handed the reins of Bangladesh’s T20 and Test squads respectively after the ICC slapped a two-year ban on regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan for failing to report three corrupt approaches.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named Mahmudullah as the T20 captain, while Mominul will lead the Test side during their much-anticipated tour of India which comprises three T20 Internationals and two Tests beginning with the shortest format games on November 3 in New Delhi.
Shakib, Bangladesh’s Test and T20 captain and the world’s No.1 all-rounder in ODIs, was initially named as the captain for the three-match T20I series but he was on Tuesday handed a two-year suspension by the ICC for failing to report three corrupt approaches, including one at the IPL, by a suspected Indian bookie, ousting him from the upcoming tour of India.
Twelve months of that ban is a suspended sentence which will come into effect if the 32-year-old fails to comply with the anti-corruption code of the world body.
The one-year ban that he has to serve will keep him out of next year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the World T20 to be held in Australia from October 18 to November 15 the same year.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, who made his T20I debut earlier this year against Zimbabwe, was included in the T20 squad in place of Shakib, while Mohammad Mithun and Imrul Kayes also found a place in the squad after Bangladesh had to make changes due to the absence of Tamim Iqbal and Mohammad Saifuddin.
Mithun replaced Tamim, who decided to stay with his wife with the couple expecting their second child, while Abu Hider Rony came in place of Saifuddin, who was ruled out of the series because of a recurring back injury.
Returning to the Test squad after their tour of New Zealand in March was Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who will be also available for the T20Is.
India and Bangladesh will play their maiden Day-Night Test during the tour in Kolkata from November 22 to 26, the second game of the two-Test series.
Bangladesh T20I squad: Mahmudullah (C), Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Naim, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Aminul Islam, Arafat Sunny, Al-Amin Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Taijul Islam, Abu Hider.
Bangladesh Test squad: Shadman Islam, Imrul Kayes, Saif Hassan, Mominul Haque (C), Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Mohammad Mithun, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Al-Amin Hossain, Abu Jayed, Ebadat Hossain.
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