Bangladesh's premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will miss Saturday's final one-dayer against Sri Lanka and the first two matches of the Asia Cup after being banned for making a lewd gesture on live television.
Shakib pointed towards his crotch and then towards the camera that was focused on him in the players' balcony soon after his dismissal for 24 during the second one-dayer in Dhaka on Thursday.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which conducted a disciplinary hearing on Friday, suspended the 26-year-old for three one-day internationals and fined him 300,000 Bangladesh taka ($3,860).
"Shakib has been penalised for breaching the BCB Code of Conduct," the board said in a statement late Friday. "He admitted the offence and accepted responsibility for the act.
"Shakib was repentant for the incident and readily accepted that the behavior was unbecoming of a player of his experience and stature. We also reminded him that his action was unacceptable," the statement quoted BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury as saying.
{{/usCountry}}"Shakib was repentant for the incident and readily accepted that the behavior was unbecoming of a player of his experience and stature. We also reminded him that his action was unacceptable," the statement quoted BCB's acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury as saying.
{{/usCountry}}Sri Lanka have already taken an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, but Shakib's absence from the first two Asia Cup matches against India and Afghanistan next week will be a bigger blow for the hosts. Shakib, who has played 34 Tests, 131 one-dayers and 28 Twenty20 games, is the senior-most player in the current Bangladesh team and one of the top all-rounders in the modern game.