Shakib turns to football after being suspended by ICC

Shakib Al Hasan, who was recently banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for failing to report corrupt approaches made to him, turned to football during his time away from the cricket field.

Shakib Al Hasan, the top-ranked One-Day International (ODI) all-rounder, represented a football team by the name of Footy Hags for a match against the Korean Expat Team at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Dhaka, according to NDTV.

“We played 11 a side on a full size pitch at the Army Stadium against the Korean Expat team today. We won 3-2. Good to have Shakib Al Hasan back in the Footy Hags Team,” Footy Hags said on their Facebook post.

Shakib Al Hasan’s Footy Hags teammate Riyad Shahir Ahmed Husain also shared some pictures from the match on his Facebook account.

Shakib was banned by the ICC for two years (one year suspended) for not reporting corrupt approaches from an alleged Indian bookie.

Shakib is likely to miss the World Twenty20 in Australia too because his ban will not be over before the flagship event begins in Australia next year.

Shakib’s ban ends on October 29, 2020 while the marquee event begins on October 18.

In the absence of Shakib, Mahmudullah is leading Bangladesh in the ongoing Twenty20 International (T20I) series against India while Mominul Haque has been tasked to lead the Test side.