Took approaches too casually: Shakib opens up on ICC ban

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan opened up recently regarding approaches from bookies that saw him getting suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last year.

Shakib was banned from all forms of the game for two years for breaching ICC's Anti-corruption Code, one year of that suspended, in October 2019. He can finally to return to the game in October 29 this year.

"I took the approaches too casually. When I met the anti-corruption guy and told them and they knew everything," Shakib was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

"Gave them all the evidence and they knew everything that happened... To be honest, that's the only reason I was banned for a year, otherwise I'd have been banned for five or 10 years."

Shakib was suspended for failing to report corrupt approaches and he pointed towards his lax attitude that saw him being out of the game for such a long time. He stated that he regrets his decision to not report the approaches to the officials at the time.

"But I think that was a silly mistake I made. Because with my experience and the amount of international matches I've played and the amount of ICC's anti-corruption code of conduct classes I took, I shouldn't have made that decision (to not report), to be honest," Shakib said.

"I regret that. And I think no one should take such messages or calls (from bookies) lightly or leave it away... We must inform the ICC ACSU guy to be on the safe side and that's the lesson I learnt, and I think I learnt a big lesson."