Bangladesh’s T20I and Test captain Shakib-Al-Hasan has been dealt a severe blow as the ICC has banned him for two years after he failed to report corrupt approaches to the anti-corruption unit.

The sentence has one year suspended after the all-rounder accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. As per a release from ICC, under the provisions of the Code, Mr. Al Hasan chose to admit the charges and agreed to the sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing. Subject to him satisfying the conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, he will be free to resume international cricket on 29 October 2020.

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Shakib Al Hasan said: “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. 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,” he further said.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager - Integrity said: “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.”

(icc-cricket.com inputs)