'No one is greater than the game', cricketing fraternity reacts as Shakib Al Hasan receives two year ban from ICC

Bangladesh captain and World No 1 all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was banned on Tuesday from all cricket for two years, with one year suspended, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said.

The ban came after Shakib "accepted three charges of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code", the sport's governing body said in a statement.

These included failing to disclose to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit, full details of approaches or invitations made in relation to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe Tri-Series in January 2018 as well as the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), it said.

There was a mixture of anguish, displeasure and shock from the cricketing world following the announcement:

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza wrote in Bengali: "Definitely I will have some sleepless nights seeing the recent incidents of my comrade of 13 years. But I can also sleep in peace soon knowing full well that he will lead us to the 2023 World Cup. Because the name is Shakib Al Hasan."

“It’s clear that Shakib has made a mistake and he’s realised that,” Hasina was quoted as saying by BDNews24. “There’s nothing much the government can do about the ICC’s decision but BCB will stand by him,” she added.

Here's how the newspapers covered the massive story:

The Independent went with the same line of ban and BCB standing by in support.

Daily Star dedicated their front page to the cricketer and development including an op-ed on others learning a lesson.

Shakib, who has played 56 Test, 206 ODIs and 76 Twenty20 internationals, is by far Bangladesh's best known player, having topped the ICC all-rounder rankings in all three formats several times since 2009.

Daily Observer dedicated half of their front page to the Shakib Al Hasan story including updates on the India tour.

Daily Sun went with a simple and bold 'Shakib banned' headline.

Last week Bangladesh cricket authorities said they would also take legal action against Shakib for allegedly breaching his contract to sign a sponsorship deal with a top mobile phone operator.

Shakib inked the agreement with former national team sponsor Grameenphone for an undisclosed sum at a time when he was also leading the players' strike.

Bangladesh Today went with the report and BCB expressing their support of the player.

Shakib will be free to resume international cricket 29 October 2020 subject to him satisfying the conditions in respect of the suspended part of the sanction, the ICC said. "I am obviously extremely sad to have been banned from the game I love, but I completely accept my sanction for not reporting the approaches," Shakib was quoted as saying in the ICC statement.