Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, and Nurul Hasan were lucky to escape with a token slap on the wrist for their part in the unsavoury incidents that marred Bangladesh’s entry into the final of the Nidahas Trophy in Colombo on Friday (March 16).
Shakib and Nurul were both found guilty of only a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct by Chris Broad, the match referee, and fined 25% each of their match fees and slapped with one demerit point following the drama during their two-wicket win over Sri Lanka that put Bangladesh in Sunday’s final against India.
Shakib, on the comeback trail, was found to have breached Article 2.1.1 of the Code of Conduct relating to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”. Nurul violated Article 2.1.2, which deals with “conduct that brings the game into disrepute”.
Shakib had remonstrated during the final over of Bangladesh’s chase against an umpiring decision that he felt was against his team. The skipper came to the edge of the boundary and gestured to his batsmen to come off the field which, fortunately, the batsmen in the middle did not heed. There was also splattered glass outside the Bangladesh dressing-room, but there was no mention of the events resulting in the damage in the ICC’s press release.
Nurul, one of the reserves, was held guilty of arguing and pointing a finger at Thisara Perera, the Sri Lankan captain, which led to ‘unruly public behaviour after he was sent by the team on to the field of play to pass on a message to the two batsmen’.
Both Shakib and Nurul pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Broad on Saturday morning, the release said, thereby ruling out the need for a formal hearing.
“Friday’s incidents were disappointing as you don’t want to see such player behaviour during any level of cricket,” Broad said. “I understand that it was a tense and an edge-of-the-seat match with place in the final on the line, but the actions of the two players were unacceptable and cannot be condoned as they clearly went overboard. Had the fourth umpire not stopped Shakib and the fielders remonstrating, and then the on-field umpires not intervened between Nurul and Thisara, things could have become worse.”
The sanctions mean that in an extremely lucky break, Shakib is now available to play in Sunday’s final against the Indians.
