Banned! Not reporting corrupt approaches lands Shakib 2-year suspension

Shakib Al Hasan

Dhaka/ Dubai: Bangladesh captain and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was handed a two-year suspension by the ICC for failing to report three corrupt approaches, including one at the Indian Premier League, 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.

Shakib accepts blame

"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 given by the ICC. 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, 32, was being kept away from 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 Delhi with the shortest format games on November 3.

Way back in January

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.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever