Former Australia Women’s cricket team skipper Lisa Sthalekar has lambasted Bangladesh star cricketer Shakib Al Hasan for his shocking behaviour on the cricket field. The veteran Bangladesh player was caught on camera kicking and uprooting the stumps while involving in a heated argument with an on-field umpire in Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League.
While captaining Mohammedan Sporting Club in a match against Abahani Limited, Shakib was first spotted talking roughly to the umpire after his lbw appeal against Mushfiqur Rahim was denied. The 34-year-old was then angered by the umpire’s decision to take the players off the field, and in frustration, he uprooted the stumps and then slammed them on the field.
Sthalekar took to social media and requested young cricket admirers not to follow the Shakib’s footsteps. She further questioned that the fascinating game needs players like Shakib or not.
“I hope young cricketers, especially in Bangladesh, don’t follow this terrible example! First a ban from all cricket (2 years, with one year suspended), now this poor behaviour. Do we really need players like this in our game? Love to know your thoughts,” Sthalekar tweeted.
I hope young cricketers especially in Bangladesh 🇧🇩 don’t follow this terrible example! First a ban from all cricket (2 years, with one year suspended), now this poor behaviour. Do we really need players like this in our game? Love to know your thoughts. https://t.co/Md1Qm96zN0
— Lisa Sthalekar (@sthalekar93) June 11, 2021
I won’t be repeating this again: Shakib issued an apology for his poor behaviour
Hours after his video went viral on social media, Shakib issued a statement and apologized for his on-field actions. He took to his official Facebook page and wrote: “Dear fans and followers, I am extremely sorry for losing my temper and ruining the match for everyone and especially those who are watching from home.”
“An experienced player like me should not have reacted that way but sometimes, against all odds, it happens, unfortunately. I apologize to the teams, management, tournament officials and organizing committee for this human error. Hopefully, I won’t be repeating this again in the future. Thanks and love you all,” Shakib added.
It wasn’t the first time that Shakib was involved in a controversy due to his rude actions. In 2015, Shakib was banned for one match concerning his poor on-field behaviour. And, in 2018, he was fined for shouting at an umpire during a T20I fixture against West Indies. Further, he was also banned for two years for failing to report bookies approach in 2019 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).