Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan banned from cricket for breaking anti-corruption code
Wednesday 30 October 2019 11:24, UK
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from all cricket for two years, one of them suspended, after admitting three charges under the anti-corruption code, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced.
The charges cover not reporting approaches in relation to the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Tri-Series during 2018 as well as the Indian Premier League.
The ICC confirmed if Shakib satisfied the conditions of the suspended part of the sanction, he would be free to resume international cricket on October 29, 2020.
Shakib said in a statement: "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 (anti-corruption unit) is reliant on players to play a central part in the fight against corruption and I didn't do my duty in this instance.
"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."
ICC's anti-corruption general manager Alex Marshall maintained responsibility rested with Shakib for not reporting the matter.
"Shakib Al Hasan is a highly experienced international cricketer," said Marshall.
"He has attended many education sessions and knows his obligations under the code. He should have reported each of these approaches.
"Shakib has accepted his errors and co-operated fully with the investigation. He has offered to assist the Integrity Unit in future education, to help younger players to learn from his mistakes. I am happy to accept this offer."
Bangladesh are set to tour India in November, with an announcement of the Test squad yet to be confirmed.
Shakib, 32, had missed Bangladesh training sessions over the past few days, with no official reason given for his absence.
Shakib made his international debut in 2006 and has been a mainstay of the Bangladesh side ever since, making 338 appearances across all three formats.
The Twenty20 squad was set to leave this week ahead of an opening match in Delhi on November 3.
The all-rounder was a star of the summer's World Cup, finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the competition with 606 runs - which lifted him up to ninth on the list of all-time runs scored at the tournament.
He also became the only player in World Cup history to score 600 runs and claim 10 wickets in the same tournament.
