Try to find out why my endorsements are increasing: Shakib
Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan signed a contract extension with Lifebuoy for three more years during an event at The Daily Star premises on Wednesday. The ace all-rounder, banned from cricket for two years with one of those suspended, remarked on how he was getting more endorsements even after a ban.
When David Warner and Steve Smith were banned from cricket for the ball-tampering issue in South Africa, they lost major commercial endorsements. Asked why his commercial endorsements were flourishing, Shakib replied: "You have to try to find out the reason behind that."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Shakib has been with Lifebuoy for the past nine years and said that his relationship with the brand goes behind the mere formalities of signing an endorsement contract.
"Our relationship is at a stage where it is not a matter of the relationship waning due to endorsements or personal conflicts. After having walked together for so long, that sort of thing does not occur anymore. At this stage the financial or endorsements side of things do not come. The relationship with the brand becomes one that resembles a family and there is no opportunity to think otherwise," Shakib remarked.
"It's not a matter of signed contracts on paper anymore. It maybe that I will be involved officially or unofficially [in future] but I will always be associated with this brand," he added.
Shakib has been away from cricket ever since the ban but reiterated that he communicates with the Bangladesh team coaching staff on a regular basis.
"Yes, I do talk to them regularly and obviously with the head coach as well. But it's not like when I talk to them it is always about cricket. But the communication is there," he stated.
While the former Test and T20 captain was not comfortable answering questions regarding how his life was outside of cricket, he said: "Actually I was doing something [playing cricket] while not paying attention to other things. Since that work is not there anymore, I have time to focus on doing other things."
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