Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s 35-year-old cricketing icon, has seemingly emerged victorious in his newest off-pitch controversy with the game of cricket as he has been picked to captain his country in the T20 format, raising eyebrows among fans of the game.
In the latest dispute, Shakib, one of the finest all-rounders in all formats of modern-day cricket, entered into a sponsorship agreement with a news portal owned by a betting entity called Betwinner without the knowledge of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) -- a clear breach of code of conduct.
Bangladeshi Cricketers require prior permission from BCB for going into any sponsorship deals.
Shakib, who was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2019 from all cricket for two years -- with one year of that under suspension -- after the cricket idol accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for failing to report approaches by bookies, must have known that betting is illegal in Bangladesh. Shakib, who has been playing competitive international cricket for more than 15 years, might have come up with lame excuses, saying it is a sports news portal which has nothing to do with betting.
However, a simple examination would reveal that the news portal, Betwinner News, is named after its parent organization Betwinner only to make it known in this part of the world, where betting is not allowed. Once one hits the site, a bizarre disclaimer essentially advertises the betting entity: “Warning! In avoidance of doubt this site doesn't have any relation to any kind of betting or gambling activities! It's sports news portal only! […] If you visited this site to look for betting or gambling opportunities, please, leave now! Thanks for understanding.”
People rightly say, in this controversy surrounding Betwinner, Shakib, and the BCB -- which vehemently reacted, issuing warnings to the all-rounder -- that the betting entity has clinched an emphatic win, although Shakib has withdrawn from the contentious sponsorship deal.
Shakib has past records of a “love-hate” relationship with the BCB. Following a series of disciplinary breaches, BCB slapped Shakib with a six-month ban from all forms of cricket in 2014. Irked with the player’s misconducts during that period, BCB president Nazmul Hassan even went on saying in public that the board believed he had a behaviourial problem that directly impacted the team.
The board also decided not to issue a No Objection Certificate to the star player, who had headed for Caribbean Premier League Cricket without permission from authorities, for any overseas competitions until the end of 2015.
Coming back to the latest controversy: Was Shakib indispensable to be included in the team under these circumstances? Why has he been chosen to lead his side? Shakib has understandably been “pardoned” for his disciplinary breach of signing a sponsorship deal without approval, and that too with an organization associated with a betting firm.
BCB’s Cricket Operations Committee Chairman Jalal Yunus told reporters: “We have discussed the issue (deal signing with a betting associated firm). Shakib now understands that he should have not done … he is a vital player for us.”
Has he been allowed to go scot-free? “Since he has inked the deal without our knowledge, we’ll discuss it (punishment or show-cause notice) in the next board meeting,” Jalal Yunus said, adding he has been given captaincy as it was a unanimous decision taken earlier. “He is the best player in the country … we’ve accepted his apology … Shakib has assured us he won't repeat this mistake again.”
Shakib, the consistent performer on the pitch either with the ball or bat in any given match, has always been lucky to be dealt with “leniency” for all his mistakes perhaps for his outstanding performances. In rgw ICC Player Rankings’ all-rounder category, Shakib stood first for ODI, second in T20I, and third in Test as of August 22.
When Shakib was handed a full ban for 12 months and 12 months suspended sentence in October 2019 for his failure to disclose approaches by cricket bookies, he was not treated harshly enough at his home country partly because of his phenomenal performance in the World Cup that same year -- scoring 606 runs, averaging 86.57, and taking 11 wickets including a five-wicket haul in eight matches.
Shakib, one of the most valuable players of the 2019 World Cup, was quite lucky that most of his sponsor companies did not terminate their contracts with the ace all-rounder following the ICC ban. Some 11 multinational and local brands in telecoms, mobile financial services, ridesharing, motorcycles, and food companies continued their deals perhaps to demonstrate their “pseudo nationalism,” eventually not helping Shakib.
Shakib was even allowed to continue as an ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) goodwill ambassador in a campaign against corruption. "What happened to Shakib is really sad. However, he admitted his mistake which demonstrates his high sense of morality," the then ACC Chairman Iqbal Mahmud was quoted saying after Shakib visited him following the ban imposed by the ICC.
Truly, Shakib has always been lucky despite all these controversies. Immediately after the ICC ban celebrated cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle tweeted: “A lot of people on my timeline are saying that the verdict against Shakib is too harsh. On the contrary, he is very lucky to get a suspended sentence which means he can be back in a year.”
Now it is time for Shakib Al Hasan to take pause, pondering what he should do to repair his image with his millions of fans and followers, who are mostly young and juvenile. Shakib is a role model for millions, who want to emulate him on the field, off the field. He is Bangladesh’s sporting ambassador, icon, idol, and the de facto poster boy.
It is urgent for the cricketer to now send a positive signal to the cricket fraternity, assuring of his “rebirth.” Shakib surely has all the abilities to bounce back.
Good luck to him.
Shamim A Zahedy is a journalist. He can be reached at szahedy@yahoo.com.