Shahzad caught smoking inside SBNCS

Minister Group Dhaka's Afghan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Shahzad was seen smoking an electronic cigarette in the middle of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) ahead of their Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League game against Comilla Victorians today.

Dhaka are scheduled to play Comilla Victorians in the night game and the players of both sides were seen on the field assessing the conditions after the day game between Fortune Barishal and Sylhet Sunrisers had to be abandoned due to rain.

Shahzad was seen smoking while having a conversation with another Afghanistan cricketer Karim Janat of Comilla Victorians. Later, Bangladesh's ODI skipper and Dhaka opener Tamim Iqbal along with head coach Mizanur Rahman were seen having a chat with Shahzad, probably asking him not to smoke on the field. 

"To be honest, this is not acceptable as we all try to keep the game of cricket clean both on and off the field. Being an international cricketer, Shahzad should be aware of the etiquettes that he needs to follow during a game of cricket," BPL's technical committee convenor Raquibul Hasan told The Daily Star regarding the incident. 

Raquibul also mentioned that whether any action will be taken against Shahzad will be decided by the match referee. 

"This falls under the jurisdiction of the match referee and it will be decided by him if Shahzad is to be reprimanded," added Raquibul. 

Neeyamur Rashid is the match referee for the game between Dhaka and Comilla. 

This is, however, not the only instance of notorious activity by Shahzad. The Afghan cricketer was suspended for a year by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) after he breached a policy that requires players to seek the board's permission before travelling out of the country in 2019.