Latest Cricket News: Shakib Al Hasan's WhatsApp messages with alleged Indian bookie revealed
If a ban was not enough, Shakib Al Hasan's WhatsApp messages with the concerned bookie has been revealed with the first approach coming in 2017.
Shakib was handed a two-year ban by the International Cricket Council [ICC] on Tuesday for failing to report corrupt approaches for more than once. However, one year was suspended and he is free to resume his career again on October 29, 2020.
But, further investigations have revealed the messages sent to him by someone named Mr. Aggarwal.
November 2017
Shakib was first approached during his stint with the Dhaka Dynamites team, in the Bangladesh Premier League.
"He was aware that his telephone number had been provided to Aggarwal by another person who was known to Shakib. Aggarwal had asked this other person to provide him with contacts for players playing in the Bangladesh Premier League," said ICC.
IPL connection
On January 19, 2018, he recieved a WhatsApp message from Aggarwal which said: "Do we work in this or I wait til the IPL?"
The reference to 'work' in the message was a reference to Shakib proving Aggarwal inside information but once again, the all-rounder failed to report it to the ACU or any other anti-corruption authority.
Four days later on On 23 January 2018, Shakib once again recieved a text reading -- "Bro anything in this series?" from the same person, asking him for information regarding the ongoing tri-series between Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
It also revealed that Shakib had asked Mr Aggarwal to meet him. "Mr Aggarwal continued this conversation with him by talking about bitcoins, dollar accounts and asked him for his dollar account details. During this conversation, he told Mr Aggarwal that he wanted to meet him "first"."
Shakib had concerns over the concerned person, however, admitting that he was 'dodgy', but didn't report the approach to the ICC.
"He (Shakib) confirmed that he had concerns over Mr Aggarwal, feeling he was a bit "dodgy", and that, following their conversations, he had the feeling that Mr Aggarwal was a bookie.
"He did not report any of the contact and approaches received from Mr Aggarwal on 26 April 2018 to the ACU or any other anti-corruption authority," ICC wrote in their seven-page decision-statement released on the website.
Shakib accepted all the charges sanctioned on him and will now serve his ban.
"I am obviously extremely sad to have been banned from the game I love, but I completely accept my sanction for not reporting the approaches," said Shakib, who is also Bangladesh's Twenty20 captain.
"Those who have supported me over the years I hope they, the fans, Bangladesh Cricket Board, the government, the journalists will continue to support me in my bad and good time," said Shakib after his ban was announced.
"If you continue your support, I am hopeful I will come back to cricket soon. I will be stronger and will perform my responsibilities with more sincerity," Shakib said.
