‘What message is Shakib sending to the next generation?’
The latest Shakib Al Hasan saga -- which stemmed from a controversial sponsorship deal with Betwinner News, a sister concern of betting site Betwinner -- eventually ended when the cricketer terminated the deal in the face of an uproar in the cricketing fraternity and a strong stance from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Interestingly, the BCB rewarded Shakib for that ill-advised deal by handing him the T20I captaincy until the ICC T20 World Cup later this year, which again reflected the helplessness of the board when it comes to tackling the problematic yet vital member of their team. Former Bangladesh captain and match referee Roquibul Hassan spoke to The Daily Star's Mazhar Uddin and shared his views on the issue during an exclusive interview. The excerpts are below:
The Daily Star (DS): You must have followed the entire saga of Shakib Al Hasan's controversial sponsorship deal with Betwinner News.
Roquibul Hassan (RH): We saw the drama between Shakib and the BCB just before announcing the Asia Cup squad, which eventually came to a solution that is good for our cricket. But what I felt is that the BCB took a strong stance with integrity and the law in mind. I think Shakib knew that he would not be allowed to see out that contract but it was a question of big money. Hardly anyone had heard about Betwinner News prior to this incident and I think the company actually benefited from the controversy. For the 10 days after the controversy started, this site got huge exposure and its purpose was served. The entire thing was a negative for us, but it was a positive for Betwinner. I don't believe when Shakib says that he had no idea about the contract and that he was misguided since he has played international cricket for over a decade now. I think the message from the board was very clear.
DS: Despite the controversy, Shakib was eventually rewarded with the captaincy of the T20I side. Does this send the wrong message to players who may believe things would be different if they had committed similar transgressions?
RH: Once he realised his mistake, he had a discussion with the BCB president. But at the same time we eventually rewarded Shakib with the T20I captaincy. The board explained that they had previously decided to make him the captain. Since we are going through a tough phase after defeats in the West Indies and Zimbabwe, it was obvious that someone like Shakib would get responsibility in such a crisis given his vast experience. But I also want to say that Shakib did the wrong thing by engaging with a controversial site. When the board hands over the captaincy to Shakib right after such a controversy, whether anyone says so or not, it will have a negative impact on other players. Things would have been different if the player was not Shakib but someone else.
DS: The board said the reason for giving Shakib the T20I captaincy despite the controversy was because he remains the best player on the team. Can we say that the BCB was helpless and should share the blame for not being able to prepare the next lot of cricketers?
RH: Nobody is bigger than the game. Maybe the board felt helpless. Maybe they needed Shakib desperately in order to keep the balance of the team, which is why they gave him a chance. But my question is how long? Shakib has done such things many times in the past but there is no question when it comes to his talent on the field. The question is what message is he sending to the next generation? And I think the youngsters are getting the wrong message from a role model like Shakib. His record is bad as a person, not as a player. We all know that but if we had two or three strong players like Shakib, would the decision be the same?