Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has said that the one-year suspension handed to him by the ICC was a bitter pill to take. He further added that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought the world to a stop, he did not miss a lot of international cricket.
In October 2019, Shakib Al Hasan was banned from all forms of cricket for 2-years, with one year suspended, later he accepted 3-charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Reflecting on the hard times, the Bangladesh all-rounder described on media that while the one year away from the game was difficult, the support from near and dear ones made things simpler. Without wanting to sound insensitive, he said:
“COVID was the one good thing that happened during that time. Not good for anyone else, but only for me, because not a lot of international cricket was going on then. But it wasn’t easy; I had to struggle big time. Thankfully, the people surrounding me were helpful.”
“And, when I got back into the team after my suspension, the teammates, the coaching staff, and the board (BCB) were very supportive. So that helped me a lot. But yeah, that one year was very difficult for me.”
After the completion of his ban, Shakib Al Hasan returned to international cricket in January 2021. Also, it was a grand comeback for him, as he completes 4/8 from 7.2 overs in an ODI against West Indies in Mirpur.
The 34-year-old found himself at the center of another dispute earlier this year when he was banned for 3-Dhaka Premier League matches and fined BDT 5 lakh for unruly on-field behavior.
We know each other very well, we don’t need to talk greatly: Shakib Al Hasan on Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim
Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, and Mushfiqur Rahim have been star players in Bangladesh cricket for a run over a ten now. Requested to share insight on the kind of friendship he enjoys with the other 2-senior members of the team, Shakib Al Hasan added:
“Well, we have been playing together since U-15s. You can imagine, it’s been more than 16-17 years that we have been playing together. We know each other very well. We don’t need to talk to each other so much as to we need to do this or do that. We know each other’s games so well, as we have been sharing the dressing room for 17-18 years. This relationship has been fantastic, and I hope it will continue for many more years.”
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has revealed his dream ODI XI 🌟🏏
How good is this team 🔥🤩#ODICricket pic.twitter.com/1GZbO0X2qo
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) August 29, 2021
Also read:- Watch: How David Warner wows fans with a video showing Superstar Rajinikanth’s song