ICC bans Shakib for two years for not reporting ‘corrupt approaches’

The International Cricket Council or ICC has banned Bangladesh Test and Twenty20 captain Shakib Al Hasan for two years, including one year of suspended sanction, for his failure to report “corrupt approaches on numerous occasions”.

One of the top all-rounders of the world, he accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, the ICC said in a media release on Tuesday.

The game’s global governing body said he would be free to resume international cricket on Oct 29 next year subject to him satisfying the conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction.

It means he will not be able to play the T20 World Cup in Australia next year.

Shakib was approached twice to engage in “corrupt conduct” during the tri-nation series between Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in January last year, and/or the Indian Premier League tournament the same year but he did not disclose the full details to the ACU, ICC said.

He did not disclose full details of another offer he received during the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab on Apr 26 last year either, it added.

Shakib chose to admit the charges and agreed the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing.

The ICC also said Shakib was “obviously extremely sad to have been banned from the game I love”.

Acknowledging his failure to follow the code, Shakib said: “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.”

“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,” the ICC quoted him as saying.

ICC General Manager (Integrity) Alex Marshall praised Shakib as a “highly experienced international cricketer”.

“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 cooperated 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,” he said in the release.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also said earlier in the day that Shakib should have informed the ICC about the corrupt offers.

“It’s clear that Shakib has made a mistake and he’s realised that,” she said at a media briefing in Dhaka on her recent Azerbaijan tour.

“There’s nothing much the government can do about the ICC’s decision,” Hasina said responding to a question from the media. “But BCB will stand by him.”

Shortly after the ICC decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board or BCB named Mominul Haque captain for the Test series and Mahmudullah for the T20 matches.

BCB President Nazmul Hasan said in a statement that the board is “shocked and extremely disappointed that an experienced player like Shakib had failed to report corrupt approach on three occasions”.

“At the same time we are pleased that he has cooperated fully with the ICC ACU and has pledged his commitment to its education programme,” he said.

The BCB hopes he will come back as a “better and wiser cricketer and serve Bangladesh for many more years”.

During the suspension the BCB will continue to support his efforts to return to cricket, it said.   

“The BCB respects the ICC’s decision and shares similar sentiments against corruption in cricket.”    

Shakib had drawn flaks from the BCB recently by leading a players' strike for better pay and more of a say in cricketing matters, among other things.

Shortly after the governing body acquiesced to most of the demands, BCB President Nazmul Hassan said Shakib would face action for signing a personal sponsorship deal with a top mobile telecom firm in breach of his central contract with the board.

The BCB has served Shakib with a notice to explain the deal.

Shakib has scored more than 11,000 runs and taken over 500 wickets in 56 Tests, 206 ODIs and 76 T20s for Bangladesh.

At the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England, he finished as the third-highest run-scorer with 606 in eight matches, including two hundreds and five fifties.