Former England captain Michael Vaughan demanded a harsher ban while Australia's Dean Jones wondered why Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan did not report the corrupt approaches made to him at a time when “players are well aware of the rules”.
The 32-year-old Bangladeshi cricketer was on Tuesday banned for two years, one year of it suspended, for failing to report approaches by suspected Indian bookie Deepak Aggarwal to the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit.
“No sympathy what's so ever for Shakib Al Hasan ... Non what's so ever ... In this era the players get briefed all the time about what they can & cant do and what that have to report straight away ... 2 yrs isn't enough ... Should have been longer ...,” tweeted Vaughan.
“For all you abusing I have zero tolerance for corruption .. It doesn't matter what team you play for .. Players these days know exactly what they can and can't do .. also know they have to report anything .. if they don't they know the consequences,” he added.
Former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja said Shakib's actions and the fallout of those are a classic example of none being bigger than the game. Shakib is currently the world's number one ODI all-rounder.
“So Shakib Al Hasan's ban has a lesson for all sports lovers and sportsmen: if you disregard the game and try to become bigger than the game by sidetracking the laid rules and protocols then be ready for a fantastic fall! Sad,” wrote Raja.
Former Australia batsman Jones also could not comprehend why Shakib did not report the approaches.
“How many times are these guys lectured? Before EVERY T20 and T10 and other Tournaments... The ICC and ACU officials brief them...#deafears,” he wrote.
One of the approaches was made on April 26, 2018 when Shakib's IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad was to take on Kings XI Punjab. Sunrisers won the game by 13 runs.
Aggarwal's other two approaches were during the Bangladesh Premier League when Shakib was playing for Dhaka Dynamites in 2017, followed by the tri-series against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka in January 2018.
The suspected bookmaker wanted to meet Shakib but the player didn't oblige as “...following their conversations, he had the feeling that Aggarwal was a bookie”.
