Bangladesh’s Mohammad Shahid and Arafat Sunny Jr slapped with one-year suspended ban

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has handed Mohammad Shahid and Arafat Sunny Jr a one-year suspended suspension. Shahid was suspended after he provoked fast bowler Shahadat Hossain that led to an assault on Arafat. The horrendous incident occurred during the match between Dhaka Division and Khulna Division at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna.

Shahadat has been meted out with a five-year suspension with two years suspended. The pacer has also been fined Taka 3 lakh for his assault on Sunny. On the other hand, Sunny was punished as he kept ignoring requests from the Shahadat to shine the ball. Akhtar Ahmed, the match referee, mentioned Shahid’s name in his report for starting the brawl in the NCL.

Arafat did not act like a team man either: BCB official

“Both of them committed level two offense and were handed one-year suspended suspension. Though they are not banned immediately, their on and off field activities will be monitored and if they commit any more offence than the ban will be implemented right away,” a BCB tournament official was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz.

“Arafat did not act like a team man either. When Shahadat called him to shine the ball he was reluctant to do it and his behaviour wasn’t appropriate towards a senior member of the team,” the BCB official added. The BCB’s technical committee handed the bans on Saturday, November 30 after the BCB’s disciplinary committee called them for a hearing.

Shahid has played five Tests for Bangladesh after making his debut against Pakistan way back in April 2015. In the same year, the Narayanganj-born played all his matches in the red-ball format. In those matches, he could only manage five wickets at a rather abysmal bowling average of 57.60. In 2016, he made his T20I debut versus Zimbabwe in Khulna, and then went out of the radar.

Arafat Sunny Jr is yet to make his national debut, having played only three first-class, 28 List A and four T20s. Among the ones, who are punished, Shahadat is the most experienced, having plied his trade in 38 Tests, 51 ODIs and six T20Is from 2006 to 2015 in which he picked up 123 wickets.