Five Controversies Involving Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has ignited a new debate over the spirit of cricket after Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews was ‘timed out’ in a fiery World Cup clash. It was the first time in the 146-year history of international cricket that such a dismissal had occurred. Mathews was adjudged to be out after failing to take strike within the two-minute time limit when he came out to bat in the game in New Delhi on Monday. Shakib made the appeal which was upheld by the on-field umpires and Mathews branded the Bangladesh captain as “disgraceful”.

AFP Sport looks at five other times star all-rounder Shakib has made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Crotch of the matter

In 2014, Shakib gestured towards his crotch when TV cameras focused on him in the dressing room after his dismissal in a one-day international against Sri Lanka in Mirpur.

Shakib was out for 24 in his team’s chase of 290 at the Sher e Bangla National Stadium and he seemed frustrated after commentators discussed the dismissal at length.

The gesture from Shakib went live on TV and on the big screen at the ground and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) handed him a three-match ban for an “inappropriate gesture” and a fine of $3,800.

‘I quit’ text

Shakib ran into trouble again later in 2014 when he skipped a training camp and decided to quit international cricket via a text message to coach Chandika Hathurusingha.

The BCB summoned Shakib to Dhaka but the star player was in transit in London at the time to fly off to the West Indies for the Caribbean Premier League.

He was banned for six months for “serious misbehaviour”, but the suspension was later reduced to three-and-a-half months.

“He has a severe attitude problem, which is unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh cricket,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said at the time.

Kick and curse

Shakib once vented his anger on a home umpire during a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match in 2015, an incident which brought him a one-match ban and a $250 fine.

He hurled a volley of abuse towards umpire Tanvir Ahmed when an appeal against rival batsman Mushfiqur Rahim was turned down.

In a separate incident in 2021, Shakib blew his fuse at an umpire during a Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League game and kicked and uprooted the stumps.

He later issued a public apology for his “human error”.

A touch of glass

The Nidahas Trophy, a tri-nation event held in 2018 to celebrate Sri Lanka’s independence, was marred by an ill-tempered contest and bad dressing room behaviour in Colombo.

A close contest between hosts Sri Lanka and Bangladesh suddenly became very tense on a no-ball decision reversed by the umpires and an angry Shakib turned up at the ropes to try and call his batsmen off the field in protest.

Order was restored before Bangladesh won the match on the penultimate ball but unruly scenes followed and later a glass door was shattered in the Bangladesh dressing room.

Shakib later apologised and admitted the players including himself had allowed their emotions to get the better of them.

Anti-corruption ban

In 2019, Shakib was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for two years for failing to report corrupt approaches, including in the Indian Premier League.

The ban came after Shakib accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

These included failing to disclose to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit full details of approaches or invitations made in relation to the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Tri-Series in January 2018 as well as the 2018 IPL.

It was a backdated ban and Shakib made his way back into the team in October, 2020.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)