Dhaka – Bangladesh superstar Shakib Al Hasan, who has been banned from all forms of cricket for two years by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with one year of that sentence suspended, for failing to report a corrupt approach, on Tuesday vowed to come back stronger once the ban is over.
“I’m extremely sad to have been banned from the game what I love most, but I fully accept my sanction for not reporting the approaches. Like the majority of players and fans around the world, I want cricket to be a corruption-free sport and I’m looking forward to working with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit team to support their education programme and ensure young players don’t make the same mistake I did,” Shakib told the media.
This was Shakib’s first interaction with the media after being handed down the ban.
“I’m seeking your support during my bad days. You have been supporting me for a long time and I’m expecting the same support for the rest of my life from you,” Shakib added.
During Shakib’s interaction with the media, BCB President Nazmul Hassan was beside him and he said BCB will provide full support to the all-rounder.
“Shakib is the best cricketer that Bangladesh has ever produced. We don’t know when we’ll get another one like him. We’ll provide full support to Shakib whatever and whenever he needs us. He’s our asset. I got angry at him because he didn’t report the approaches to the respective authorities. But yes, it made us shocked that Shakib is banned now,” Nazmul told the media.
“It’s a big blow for us. We’re losing him just before a big series against India. However, we’ll provide all support to him. Shakib admitted his wrongdoings. ICC ACU worked closely with Shakib and they now came with their verdict. We had nothing to do with them. They’re totally independent,” he added.
Shakib’s incident left three former Bangladeshi captains — Akram Khan, Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar — shattered.
“He is the biggest asset of us. We’re going to play a full series in India. But we won’t get the service of our best cricketer in the series, which is really disappointing for us. He did well in the World Cup. I’m really feeling bad for him and Bangladesh cricket. I want future players to be free from this sort of incident. I hope he’ll be back stronger,” Akram told the media.
“It’s a setback for Bangladesh cricket. It’ll be tough for us to play without him during the next 12 months. At the same time, it’ll be difficult for us to find a replacement for him,” Minhajul said.
Habibul Bashar, another former captain, said: “Today is the saddest day of Bangladesh cricket. I just hope Shakib will be back stronger.”UNB
