The curious case of Shakib Al Hassan

Shakib Al Hasan was approached by Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal on three occasions in recent past to which he did not report these incidents to the cricket authorities

Hundreds of Bangladeshi cricket fans came out with a heavy heart to stand by their T20 and Test cricket team captain Shakib Al Hasan, who also happens to be one of top ODI allrounder in the world, as he was handed over a two years ban by ICC for "failing to report corrupt approaches". Shakib has willingly accepted three charges that are linked to requests for “inside information for betting purposes” and now the 32-year-old will be sitting out for a year and will be able to return to the game after Oct 29, 2020. The cricket fraternity has lost another superstar player for a year when the fans were recovering and were happy after the return of Steve Smith and David Warner over their ball-tampering controversy. Though there is a sense of relief that in the case of Shakib, there are no traces of match-fixing, the only mistake he made was not to disclose the things that were happening.

The high-profile cricketer was approached by Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal on three occasions in the recent past but he did not report these incidents to the cricket authorities. The ICC has become really strict with the cases of match-fixing and corruption in the sport, as cricket is one of the most popular sports where betting casts a threatening shadow. The world of cricket has lost some of the most mighty cricketers due to betting, the list includes Hanse Cronje, Mohammad Azharuddin, Sreesanth, these cricketers lost their respect and reputation for their alleged involvement in corruption and the comeback from this is really hard.

Here is the list of charges put on Shakib Al Hasan:

Article 2.4.4 – Failure to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct – in relation to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe Tri-Series in January 2018 and/or the 2018 IPL

Article 2.4.4 – Failure to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct – in relation to the second approach in respect of the Tri-Series in January 2018

Article 2.4.4 – Failure to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct – in relation to an IPL 2018 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kings XI Punjab on 26 April 2018.

Though Shakib has told ACU (Anti-Corruption Unit) that he did not accept any of the invitation from the bookie Deepak Aggarwal and also did not provide any of the information that can cost a denture to the team or the nation or the cricket board. Also, Shakib has claimed that he has not accepted any kind of money from Deepak Aggarwal. It is just that he failed to report these approaches that happened several times to the ACU and that has cost him his career.

Who is Deepak Aggarwal?

The blacklisted bookie Deepak Aggarwal basically hails from Sonipat, Haryana and is a popular name in the spot-fixing circuit. Due to his acts, he is under constant surveillance of ICC’s ACU. He has tried his spot-fixing attempts in several franchise leagues and international matches. He was arrested by Indian police in April 2017 from Raigarh, but after he was released, he was again back to his spot-fixing business.

Aggarwal right now is based in Dubai and also happens to run a cricket academy in the National Capital Region. Not just this, he also claims to be a promoter of a planned T20 league. According to a source, who was quoted in The Indian Express said that Aggarwal is a runner of sorts, whose job is to get in touch with players and lure them into giving inside information about the games they are involved in.

The match-fixing is a big spider net that is also a dark side of this overly glamorous sport in which many people are tangled. And this act is something that alone ICC and the ACUs cannot fight against. That is why every cricket board, nationally and internationally, has set a separate cell for anti-corruption to tap such incidents and make sure such things are avoided and players are saved. An act like match-fixing or spot-fixing is really difficult to catch and if caught, it is even more difficult to prove and churns out all the time in the world.

In the world of match-fixing, the star players are mostly approached and targeted and no one can predict which one can succumb to such circumstances and who will stay away and report issues to the higher authorities. The ACU and ICC have taken a very strenuous approach to such issue and the players know for the fact that any kind of such suspicious activity happening around them or with them should be reported with an immediate effect. This is nothing but for the dignity of the game and for the player himself/herself. Also, keeping such thing silent is also makes a sportsperson guilty, which is exactly what Shakib did.

Shakib’s absence, a big blow

Being the skipper of Bangladesh T20 and test team, it is undoubtedly a big blow for the team as their star and the top player is going to be absent. It is going to be difficult for the team, which is unbeaten in the last 11-12 series, especially when they walk out for the World Test Championship without the world’s top allrounder Shakib. But hopefully, his absence will encourage the team members to perform even better and bring winning results.

The reins of the T20 are being handed over to Mahmudullah whereas, the Test team of Bangladesh will be lead by Mominul Haque for the two-match series in India out of which one will be a day-night test with the pink ball at Eden Garden, Kolkata.

The ban on Shakib Al Hasan is a lesson to every cricketer that neglecting serious issues related to the corruption in the sport can lead to serious problems. Even though the player did not respond to any of the incidents, it was his moral duty to report such an approach. The ban is one thing, but coming back from such a set back is something not everyone can do. Even Steve Smith had to prove himself in Ashes and people now just associate his name with the huge innings that he played during Ashes and not the ball-tampering incident. Players like Shakib are the stars in the game of cricket, and players like him are the targets of such things. There is a void in the team and in the hearts of the cricket fans as nothing is more painful than such kind of damage.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are the personal views of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)