Shakib again in hot water

The focus ahead of the sixth board meeting of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was who will be named the Tigers' T20I skipper for the upcoming Asia Cup tournament slated to be played in UAE. However, no captain was announced in the media conference following the board meeting, with BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon suggesting they have not decided on a captain yet.

Although the BCB president said that the squad had been decided, they could not announce it because the captain had not been named.

"A side has been formed but it will have to be approved by the one who will be made skipper," BCB president Nazmul said yesterday.

It was learned that the BCB was all set to announce Shakib Al Hasan as the skipper yesterday. It had been an open secret that the board had earmarked Shakib for the role. However, complications have arisen which saw the board postpone its decision for a few days before they name the squad and captain.

Sources close to the BCB have claimed that Shakib had asked about the length of his tenure as captain before he made the decision to accept board's proposal. However, according to sources, the BCB also have to iron out some complications with the all-rounder before handing over the captaincy.

The indications are that those complications are related to the sponsorship deal Shakib had announced with betting site Betwinner's sister concern Betwinner news on his verified Facebook page on August 2.

The announcement from Shakib had come on the same day that the BCB communicated their EOI to the franchises through the media to play in the upcoming BPL, where it was stated that any company related to tobacco, alcohol and betting cannot participate in the BPL.

"The board will not allow such a deal to happen if it has taken place," the BCB president said, adding it was an agenda that was discussed in the board meeting.

"He is not supposed to ask us for permission [in regards to signing a sponsorship deal with a betting related site] since we will not allow such a deal. We have to know if it has taken place first," BCB president added.

Asked whether they will hand over captaincy if Shakib is found to be in breach, Nazmul said: "First, we have to know what he has done. This (betting-related activities) is not only prohibited in cricket but in this country. It is prohibited and the law does not permit it. This is a serious issue. We cannot depend on a Facebook post, we have to investigate it," he told the media.

Mustafa Jabbar, the Minister of Post and Telecommunication, told The Daily Star that laws are in place if a breach was found.

"The responsibility to file a case belongs with the home ministry (in case of involvement with betting- related activities). If anyone is related with betting [or related activities] there are laws for it. If it happens digitally than it is possible to file a case under digital security act as well," he said.