Shakib Al Hasan may be one of cricket's biggest players. He may be ranked among the top all-rounders in all three formats of the game. But has he done justice to the gentleman's game?
Having represented the country in 67 Tests, 247 ODIs and 129 T20Is, Shakib has had a controversial career and most recently he was named among the accused in connection with a murder. Here are some of the most controversial moments that led Shakib to tarnish his image.
Uprooting Stumps
In 2021, Shakib was involved in an on-field altercation with the umpire, not once but twice. First, Shakib's LBW appeal was turned and the refusal didn't go well with the cricketer as he kicked the stumps in anger. Just an over later, Shakib's anger flared up once again and he uprooted the stumps completely and animatedly threw them.
However, he apologised for his actions and called it a human error.
Abusing the Umpire
In another incident of misbehaving with the on-field official, Shakib once voiced his anger by hurling a volley of abuses towards umpire Tanvir Ahmed. The incident happened during the Bangladesh Premier League when Shakib's appeal against the rival batter Mushfiqur Rahim was turned down. As a result, Shakib was handed a one-match ban and a $250 fine for his outburst.
Anti-corruption ban
In 2019, Shakib received a two-year ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he failed to report corrupt approaches, including those in the Indian Premier League. Former England captain Michael Vaughan supported ICC's ban on Shakib and demanded tougher punishment for the cricketer.
Altercations with fans
The 37-year-old has an ugly history of altercations with fans on and off the field. Early this year, Shakib's video of slapping a fan went viral. The cricketer went to a polling station to cast his vote, but he was mobbed by his fans who were trying to get selfies. Angered by the crowd around him, Shakib pushed the fan away and slapped him. He found himself in the middle of a similar controversy when he recently grabbed a fan by the neck and threatened to snatch his phone and slap him as he tried to take a selfie with the former Bangladeshi skipper.
Named in a murder
Shakib was recently named as one of the accused in connection with an alleged murder that took place in July and August amid the recent protests and violence in Bangladesh.
However, Shakib was not present in Bangladesh during the protests on August 5, as he part of the Global T20 Canada league in Brampton from 26 July to 9 August. The legal proceedings on the case are yet to take place.
Shakib Al Hasan is potentially the most followed cricketer in Bangladesh and his cricketing records speak volumes of the immense talent he boasts. But the world will also remember him as a short-tempered man whose actions labelled him as the bad boy of cricket.
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