Captain of Bangladesh's T20I and Test team and one of the best all-rounders in the world, Shakib Al-Hasan is facing a ban for not reporting an approach by a bookie. The Bangladeshi media has reported that the veteran has been kept away from the team during their practice sessions in preparation for the upcoming India tour.
The decision to bar Shakib from the practice sessions of the team, according to media reports in the country, was taken by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) at the behest of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"It was on insistence of ICC that Shakib has been kept away from practice by the BCB. That's the reason he neither featured in the practice games nor did he join the meeting late on Monday evening with the president to discuss pink ball Test," Samakal, one of Bangladesh's leading newspapers reported.
The approach from the bookie which has caused the troubles for the top all-rounder occurred two years ago. According to the rules of ICC, such approaches have to be reported as soon as possible by the player. But Shakib didn't act as per the requirements.
As a result, the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) of ICC began investigating the matter. They talked to the Bangladesh skipper and he accepted the charge of having been in touch with the bookie. The newspaper also reports that the bookie had made an offer to the star cricketer relating to a particular match.
Since the ICC hasn't yet issued a statement, more details about the entire affair are awaited. Whether Shakib is only guilty of not reporting the bookie's approach or something more sinister would only become clear when the council issues a proper statement. Chances of a ban as long as 18 months can't be discounted.
With Shakib likely to miss the tour of India, the chances of Bangladesh performing well have gone down considerably. The Tigers would be in India for three T20Is and two Tests. The tour begins with the first T20 match on November 3 and ends with the second Test that gets underway on November 22.
This crisis follows another major dispute between BCB and Shakib regarding the latter signing an endorsement deal with Grameenbank. As per the rules of the board, the left-hander needs to get the permission of the board before accepting the sort of agreement that he has concluded with the company. The BCB also had to deal with a payer's strike which threatened to disrupt Bangladesh's Indian tour.
