ZCZC
BSP-11
CRICKET-SHAKIB-BOOKIE-BAN
I even could have been banned for 5 or 10 years: Shakib
DHAKA, June 24, 2020 (BSS)—For the first time after being banned from the cricket, Shakib Al Hasan revealed what went wrong actually.
The ace Bangladeshi all-rounder was banned by the ICC in October last year for failing to report corrupt approaches from a bookie, which left the fans a dazed state.
Shakib disclosed that ‘taking those approaches from the bookie too casually’ was a mistake on his part, that led his banned.
He however said during an interview with Harsha Bhogle on Cricbuzz if he could have been banned for five or even 10 years.
ICC’s anti-corruption unit (ACU) said Shakib received three separate ‘approaches or invitations’ to engage in ‘corrupt conduct’ by a bookmaker seeking match information.
ICC imposed the ban for two years, with one year of that suspended, meaning Shakib could be back to the cricket after one year if he doesn’t do any misdeed in that period.
“I took the approaches too casually,” he said during the interview. “I didn’t want to give the bookie an importance. When I met the anti-corruption guy I disclosed all the things in honest way and later found that they knew everything.
To be honest, that’s the only reason I was banned for a year, because I honestly gave all evidence, otherwise I could have been banned for five or 10 years.”
Shakib was approached by a bookie during the home tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka last year in January before he was approached a second time during the same series.
The 33-year-old all-rounder, who is in now USA with his family, admitted that it was a ‘silly mistake’ considering the vast experience he has under his belt.
“It was a silly mistake from my part. Because I have the experience and the amount of matches I have played, the amount of ICC’s anti-corruption code of conduct class I have done, I should have informed them in the earliest time,” he said.
“But as I said I earlier, i took it very casually, which was a great mistake. I didn’t want to give any importance to the message and the call the bookie made.
I learnt it now hard way. We must inform the ICC ACSU guy to be on the safe side and that’s the lesson I learnt, and I think I learnt a big lesson,” Shakib regretted.
Shakib said he still rues for not realizing that he was doing mistake by not reporting ICC.
“It never comes to my mind that I am doing the wrong thing. I actually tend to be arrogant with some decisions.
I was just feeling that it’s okay what’s going to happen, leave it and I continued with my life. But that’s the mistakes for which I am not ruing,” he concluded.
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