Shakib Al Hasan Banned for Not Reporting Fixing Approaches

Shakib Al Hasan emerged as Bangladesh's greatest cricketer over a decade of extraordinary performance. A left-arm spinner and explosive middle-order batsman, he spent multiple years as the ICC's top-ranked all-rounder across all formats — an achievement no other Bangladeshi player has come close to matching. He was the fulcrum of Bangladesh's international rise, the player opposition teams built their plans around.

His global profile also made him valuable to the T20 franchise circuit. Shakib played for multiple IPL franchises, became a coveted commodity in the Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League, and built a commercial profile that extended far beyond the cricket field. This circuit-playing life meant exposure to a wide range of individuals — agents, promoters, and others who operated in the shadows of professional sport.

The bookmaker who approached Shakib was operating in the same grey zone that had entrapped cricketers before him. The approaches occurred in specific settings — an IPL season and an international tri-series — where inside information had clear market value. The ICC's Anti-Corruption Code placed an unambiguous obligation on Shakib: regardless of how he responded to the approaches, he was required to report them to the ACU.

During IPL 2018, when Shakib was playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, an individual contacted him and made corrupt overtures — offering money for inside information and to influence aspects of match play. Rather than reporting this approach immediately to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit as required, Shakib disengaged informally. He neither fixed anything nor reported anything.

The same individual contacted Shakib again during a Bangladesh tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in January 2018, repeating corrupt propositions. Again, Shakib did not report. A third contact followed. On each occasion, the ICC alleged that Shakib had failed to fulfil his mandatory reporting obligation within the prescribed timeframe under the Anti-Corruption Code.

When the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit investigated, Shakib reportedly cooperated fully with the inquiry, acknowledging the contacts and admitting his failure to report. The ICC emphasised throughout the proceedings that it was not alleging that Shakib had fixed any match or provided any information to the bookmaker — his only offence was the failure to report, repeated across three separate incidents.

Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh's greatest cricketer and the top-ranked ODI all-rounder in the world, was banned by the ICC on 29 October 2019 for failing to report multiple corrupt approaches by a bookmaker. The approaches occurred during the IPL 2018 season, when Shakib was playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and during a tri-series involving Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe in January 2018.

The ICC revealed that an individual had approached Shakib on three separate occasions. During the IPL, the individual offered Shakib money for inside information and to manipulate aspects of matches. During the tri-series, the same individual contacted Shakib again. On each occasion, Shakib failed to report the approaches to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit as required under the code.

Shakib received a two-year ban, with one year suspended, meaning he would serve an effective ban of one year. Crucially, the ICC emphasized that Shakib was not accused of actually fixing any match or providing information to bookmakers - his offense was the failure to report the approaches. However, the ICC noted that failure to report was a serious offense because it allowed corrupt individuals to continue operating.

The ban was a major blow to Bangladesh cricket, as Shakib was by far the team's most important player. His absence significantly weakened Bangladesh in the 2020 period. The case served as a reminder to all cricketers of their obligations under anti-corruption rules, even when they themselves had not engaged in corrupt activity.

“I regret not reporting these incidents at the time. I understand now that I had a duty to report regardless of whether I thought anything serious was happening.”

“Shakib did not fix any match. But the obligation to report is absolute. Failure to report allows corrupt individuals to continue targeting players.”

“We are deeply saddened. Shakib is our greatest cricketer. We hope he comes back stronger.”

“This case shows that even good cricketers with no corrupt intent can find themselves in serious trouble if they don't follow the rules.”

Shakib's return to cricket in October 2020 was celebrated in Bangladesh, where the public had largely maintained sympathy for him throughout his ban, viewing his failure to report as a naive error rather than corrupt intent. He resumed international cricket and continued to perform at the highest level, reclaiming his all-rounder rankings and remaining Bangladesh's most important player.

The ban had significant cricketing consequences. Bangladesh were markedly weakened without him in 2020, struggling in the T20 and Test formats. His absence highlighted how dependent the team had become on a single individual. The Bangladesh Cricket Board used the period to reflect on player education regarding anti-corruption obligations.