DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan was suspended Monday by the Bangladesh Cricket Board from all competitions for six months and forbidden from playing overseas until the end of 2015 due to his “severe attitude problem.”
BCB president Nazmul Hassan said the punishment, which was handed down at a board of directors meeting, stemmed from Shakib’s recent behavioural issues.
The cricket star has clashed with Bangladesh’s new coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, and gotten into an altercation with a spectator during a recent one-day international against India in Mirpur. He also went to the Caribbean to play in a Caribbean Premier League tournament without permission and reportedly threatened to quit playing tests for the country when asked to return.
Hassan said Shakib has a “severe attitude problem,” worse than the team has seen before.
“If he was a player who played just once and nobody knew him, that would have been a different issue,” he said. “Shakib is our role model, he is our country’s ambassador. Many in the world know Bangladesh because of Shakib. That is why we think that a person of his level should be able to maintain his self-discipline.”
Hassan said Shakib’s behaviour has started to rub off on his teammates, causing them to act in a similar manner.
“If this continues, this will be destroy the future of our cricket,” he said. “So that’s why we believe that he obviously deserves a strict punishment.”
The ban means Shakib will miss Bangladesh’s upcoming West Indies tour starting next month, as well as a home series against Zimbabwe in either October or November.
When asked if his suspension will affect the composition of the team, board director AZM Nasiruddin said, “There is no way that his suspension will have an adverse impact on the team. The team, rather, will be more disciplined.”