ICC comes under criticism as Shakib Al Hasan handed over only minor sanctions

The virtual semi-final of the Nidahas Trophy between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka was marred by ugly scenes on the pitch. In the final over the game, off which eventual winners Bangladesh needed 12 runs to win, Sri Lanka’s Isuru Udana bowled two bouncers to Mustafizur Rahman. The second was called a no-ball, but the umpire soon changed his mind.

This led to chaos between both the teams, with the visiting players protesting out of anger. Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, in particular, was furious with the umpire’s decision, and with the kind of demeanour he put up that night, many thought that a ban was on Shakib’s way. Had the umpires not intervened and stopped Shakib, the matter could have escalated to a whole new level.

Only minor sanctions against Shakib

Shakib later pleaded guilty to a charge of “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” and that was it. He received only minor sanctions and is all set to play the final of the tournament against India later today. This has led to heavy criticism against the International Cricket Council, who recently imposed a two-match ban on South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, for an offence that is being seen as one of a much lesser violation than what Shakib did.

Proteas captain Faf du Plessis was the first to question ICC, asking how Rabada deserved three demerit points for a “shirt flick” with Steve Smith, which is the same number of demerit points handed to David Warner for an altercation with Quinton de Kock which got really ugly.

Harsha Bhogle’s view

“Getting one demerit point and losing 25% of the match fee for what happened yesterday, #BANvsSL, is like getting a pat on the back,” Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle posted on Twitter, indirectly saying that charges against Shakib should have been much bigger.

Had the world’s top-ranked all-rounder suffered a ban, Bangladesh’s chances against India could have become next to none.