Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has said that his one-year suspension was a “blessing in disguise” as it changed his perceptions towards life and he does not regret the time he’s had to spend away from cricket.
Shakib became eligible to resume playing competitive cricket from October 29 following the one-year ban he received from the ICC for failing to disclose a corrupt approach from bookies.
Shakib, who is expected to return to Dhaka on Thursday (November 5), posted a video on his official YouTube channel in which he answered questions about his ban among several things.
“I think it helped me a lot (this ban) and it helped me in many ways and mostly in positive ways. Lot of doors opened for me and I can think about life differently, it’s a blessing in disguise,” Shakib said in reply to a question from Cricbuzz on whether he is at peace with everything after completing his one year ban. “I don’t regret this one year,” he said.
“Unless I struggled like this I wouldn’t have learnt this way. When a man comes back from this situation he is much more matured. Now I think differently than before and it will surely help me in my life,” he said.
“I don’t know what gave me the most courage but when I heard the news (of the ban) I was shocked and sorry but at the same time I was thinking life has given me a chance. I have one year to prepare myself and when I come back I need to prove again,” he said.
Shakib said that the investigation into his case was the most daunting period of his career as he was under the ICC scanner for quite some time and played the World Cup knowing that something might happen.
“It was really challenging to perform in the World Cup as they (ACSU) were regularly talking with me and it was an uncomfortable situation,” said Shakib. “Certainly it was not a nice feeling to go to bed with. I was assuming that something might happen and there were times when I felt nothing might happen because I was not sure what kind of result was waiting for me. That was not an easy part when I was going through the investigation,” he said.
“(However) that investigation had nothing to do with my performance in the World Cup as the investigation started in November/December so I could have been banned before the World Cup. I had a desire to do well in the World Cup as I could not perform according to my reputation on the world stage,” he said.
“They (teammates) can doubt me or have no trust in me and I don’t disapprove it totally”
Shakib said that he is well aware that his team mates might see him differently in the dressing room but added that he did not get any such vibes while talking with them during the time of suspension.
“It’s a difficult question (whether they will doubt me) because I am not sure what is going through any one’s mind. They can doubt me or have no trust in me and I don’t disapprove it totally,” said Shakib.
“But as I have spoken with almost everyone I did not feel it that way (that they are distrusting me). I think they will believe me like the way they used to do but as you said anyone can have doubt over me at some corner of his mind because it is such a thing,” he said.
Shakib added that he is not eyeing to get back captaincy rather he is looking forward to make sure that he returns to his old position and repay back the love and backing that he received during the time of suspension.
“My plan is to reach where I have left and I am determined to do that. I want to repay you back for all the support. The fans were behind me more than my expectations. Whenever I will play, the only thing that will come to my mind is how I can repay them back,” said Shakib.
Shakib said that his only regret is that he could not spent another 15 to 20 days in BKSP where he trained ahead of the Sri Lanka tour as it would have prepared him for next one or two year. Shakib’s mentor Salahuddin feels he is ready to play anytime having undergone rigorous training.
“The BKSP training was very good and I feel that I needed that training, Though I wanted to prolong it for 15 to 20 days more but as the Sri Lanka series was called off so it did not happen. But if I could do it for 15 to 20 days I think I could have got a full preparation for next one or two years,” said Shakib.
“I think I can make up that gap [of training] in the upcoming domestic tournament,” he added.
BCB announced on October 4 that Shakib will take part in the upcoming fitness test on November 9 to make himself eligible for the forthcoming Bangabandhu T20.
BCB decided that players selected in the draft list for the upcoming T20 tournament in November-December will have to undergo a mandatory fitness test before being considered eligible for the competition.
The test, scheduled on November 9 and 10, has been planned to particularly assess the fitness levels of 113 cricketers outside the National Team, High Performance Team and Under-19 setups.
