Published 18:57 IST, October 30th 2019
Shakib Al Hasan ban: Bangladesh media reactions to Shakib's 2-year ban
Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan was banned for two years after breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Here is how the local media reacted to the news.
The International Cricket Council on Tuesday banned Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for 2 years after he failed to report corrupt approaches made to him multiple times. The ban was imposed after Shakib accepted three charges of breaching the Anti-Corruption Code of the ICC. The news came right before Bangladesh’s tour of India which starts on Sunday, November 3.
Shakib al Hasan ban: Bangladesh media reacts
One of the most talking points of Bangladesh cricket, Shakib’s ban has come as a rude shock to a cricket-mad Bangladesh. As expected, it smashed newspaper headlines in the country on Wednesday, given his recent form and the dependence of the team on his skills. The news of Shakib’s ban was one of the prominent front-page stories for English dailies in Bangladesh. Newspapers carried the news of the ban alongside Bangladesh PM’s press conference from her recently-concluded Azerbaijan tour.
Bangladesh media on Shakib's ban: Will the rest learn a lesson?
One of the Bangladeshi newspapers had a headline which read “Will the rest learn the lesson?” The paper slammed the player for putting his country in an embarrassing spot and said that this is one of the darkest periods in Bangladesh Cricket. On the other hand, a rival media outlet covered half of their front page with the news of the ban and the reactions to it. It read "shocking that a player of Shakib al Hasan's stature hasn’t learned from his mistakes." The other papers carried news of the BCB and the PM backing Shakib in this situation. However, one of the newspapers focused on Shakib's side of the story as he declared in a press conference soon after the ban was imposed on him with these words, “I will come back stronger."
Shakib Al Hasan: Controversy's favourite child
It is not the first time Shakib has courted controversy. He was suspended for 3 games after his indecent gesture in the dressing room live on camera a few years ago. Shakib was also banned for 6 months on disciplinary issues in 2014 by the BCB, which was later reduced to 3 months.
Shakib has played 328 international games for Bangladesh in a career spanning over 13 years. One of the leading all-rounders of the decade, Shakib has scored more than 11,000 runs across all formats of the game. He has also picked up more than 500 wickets. The 32-year-old would hope there’s enough cricket left in him to make a possible comeback after the completion of his ban.
Updated 19:36 IST, October 30th 2019