Agencies
Suspended all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan apologised on Sunday and appealed to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to reduce the six-month ban slapped on him earlier this month for misbehaviour.
Bangladesh’s most prominent cricketer was punished for what the BCB called a “severe attitude problem”. Shakib, the country’s most popular sportsman, made a passionate public plea to the board in his bid to get the ban lifted.
Shakib, the best cricketer Bangladesh has ever produced, was banned from all forms of competitive cricket for six months, ruling him out of Bangladesh’s tour of the West Indies in August. The board also decided not to allow him to play in overseas competitions until the end of 2015.
“I admitted that my behaviour was not mature. I sincerely apologise to the BCB and the Bangladesh cricket team if they are embarrassed at my behaviour. In future it will not happen again,” Shakib, who met BCB chief Nazmul Hassan earlier this week, told reporters. He also apologised to the fans “who were always supportive of the Bangladesh cricket team”.
“I have always been with cricket and will remain with cricket. I want to play cricket for Bangladesh.
“Nothing can be more painful than staying away from cricket,” Shakib said.
Shakib was accused of travelling to the West Indies to play in the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 tournament without clearance from his board and was subsequently ordered to return to Bangladesh.
The 27-year-old, who has played 34 Tests and 136 one-day-internationals, had reportedly threatened to quit playing for the country and had an altercation with coach Chandika Hathurusinghe. Shakib has denied the allegation.
“The Bangladesh team is above everything to me. I always play for it giving everything and I will give everything for the Bangladesh team in future,” Shakib said.
There was no immediate respite from the BCB yet, though.
“The appeal will be resolved at the earliest,” Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, BCB’s acting chief executive, told reporters.
Shakib was banned for three matches in February for an indecent gesture to local fans, a suspension that kept him out of key Asia Cup matches.
Last month Shakib beat up a spectator who reportedly used abusive language against the player’s wife during an Bangladesh-India match.
The left-hander has played 34 Tests, scoring 2,278 runs with a batting average of 37.96 and taken 122 wickets, the country’s highest.
He has played 134 one-day internationals scoring 3,835 runs and taking 171 wickets.
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