Bangladesh cricket star Shakib Al Hasan has been banned from cricket for two years, with one year suspended, after breaching the sport’s anti-corruption code.
Al Hasan was guilty of failing to contact the sport’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) watchdog after being approached on three separate occasions to “engage in corrupt conduct,” said a statement published on the International Cricket Council’s website Tuesday.
He accepted all three charges linked to requests to supply “inside information for betting purposes” and his failure to report “corrupt approaches.”
The 32-year-old’s failure to report the three separate incidents, two of which took place in January 2018 and the other on April 26, 2018, means that if he serves the terms of his ban, he will be able to return to action on October 29 next year.
Al Hasan, who has made more than 200 one-day appearances for Bangladesh and starred at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, is one of the most exciting players in the sport.
Captain of the country’s Test match and Twenty20 team, he was the third-highest run scorer at the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
“I am obviously extremely sad to have been banned from the game I love, but I completely accept my sanction for not reporting the approaches,” Al Hasan said in a statement.
“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 program and ensure young players don’t make the same mistake I did.”
Alex Marshall, ICC general manager - Integrity, added: “Shakib Al Hasan is 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.”