Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been fined 10% of his match fee and received one demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the Rawalpindi Test against Pakistan.
The incident occurred on the fifth day of the Test when Shakib was preparing to bowl. He pulled up short upon realizing that Pakistan batter Mohammad Rizwan was not ready to face the delivery. Rizwan was turned away from the bowler, engaged in a conversation with Bangladesh wicketkeeper Litton Das. As Rizwan turned back towards Shakib, the bowler tossed the ball to Litton in an arc that passed over Rizwan’s head. Umpire Richard Kettleborough was seen reprimanding Shakib on the field after the incident.
Match referee Ranjan Madugalle ruled that Shakib had breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which pertains to “throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee, or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match.”
Shakib admitted to the offense and accepted the sanction proposed by Madugalle, avoiding the need for a formal hearing. The charges were leveled by on-field umpires Kettleborough and Adrian Holdstock, along with third umpire Michael Gough and fourth umpire Rashid Riaz.
This was Shakib’s first demerit point in the last 24 months. If a player accumulates four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted to suspension points. Suspension points result in the player’s suspension from international matches, with ODIs and T20Is carrying a weight of one suspension point each, and Test matches carrying a weight of two suspension points.
Shakib, who played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s Rawalpindi win with figures of 3 for 44 in Pakistan’s second innings, is currently under scrutiny for off-field matters. He is among 147 individuals charged in a murder case filed in Dhaka related to the recent student protests that led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government. Shakib was serving as a Member of Parliament for Hasina’s Awami League party.
