An absence that stayed with Shakib for the last one year

A year has passed since that earth-shattering moment in Bangladesh cricket when ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was banned from all cricket for a year for failing to report corrupt approaches. During a programme at Queens Palace auditorium in New York on 27th October, Shakib answered questions from expatriate Bangladeshis and talked about his ban coming to an end.

Shakib attended the 'Show Time Music' event at a time when his one-year ban was coming to an end within a few hours.

Shakib had lost a year from his cricket career and while there was a lot that went right for him during this one year, there was a constant that any professional athlete would find themselves in while facing such a ban; the inability to take the field and perform.

"I spent time with my family. As you know, I couldn't find time for my first child but for the second child, I have been able to do that. I was able to babysit. But obviously I missed cricket," Shakib was quoted as saying during the event by Kalerkantho.

He once again reiterated that he did not want anyone to make the same mistake he did.

The ace all-rounder informed that he will return to the country on November 4 and would return to cricket by abiding all the regulations. He was Bangladesh's best performer in the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England and harboured hopes of the Tigers doing well in the upcoming T20 World Cup and beyond.

Asked about the impact of coronavirus on cricket, Shakib was hopeful about the future and replied: "When one door closes, another opens. Surely there will be a way".