Bangladesh Test and T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan’s wife Sakib Ummey Al Hasan said her husband would return to the field “stronger than ever” after the all-rounder was handed a two-year ban for failing to report three approaches by a bookie.
Twelve months of this ban is a suspended sentence which will come into effect if Shakib fails to comply with the anti-corruption code of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
In the post, Sakib Ummey Al Hasan wrote “Legends don’t become legends overnight. They have to go through storms, many ups and downs, and tough times will come but they embrace it with strong mind, and we know how strong Shakib al Hasan is! This is the beginning of a new start. He will come back stronger than ever in no time. He has been away from cricket due to injuries and we saw how strongly he came back in the World Cup. This is just a matter of time, We are overwhelmed by all the love and support you have shown us. That’s the unity we need as a nation!”
The ban comes as a huge blow for Bangladesh cricket ahead of their much-anticipated tour of India, which comprises three T20 Internationals and two Tests, beginning with the shortest format games on 3 November. He will also be forced out of next year's Indian Premier League (IPL) and also the World T20 to be held in Australia from 18 October to 15 November the same year.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), however, said that doors will be opened for Shakib once his ban ends.
The 32-year-old 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 26 April 2018 when his IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad was to take on Kings XI Punjab. Sunrisers won the game by 13 runs.
Shakib had "accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code", something which went in his favour as he escaped the maximum punishment of five years for the offence.
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