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Asia Cup 2022: Shakib Al Hasan’s participation in doubts amid sponsorship controversy

Written by Abhishek Patil

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Najmul Hasan Papon, on Thursday, August 11, clearly said that Shakib Al Hasan needs to drop his sponsorship deal with company, Betwinner, to take part in the Asia Cup 2022 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Earlier, the BCB got an extension to name their squad for the multi-nation tournament due to injuries to a number of their key players. The issues surrounding Shakib haven’t made things easier for the Bangladesh board.

The BCB president reiterated the board’s ‘zero tolerance policy’ in regards to Shakib’s involvement in the sponsorship deal. Having sent Shakib a letter, BCB is taking its own time before naming the Asia Cup squad.

“There is no second choice. BCB’s position is still the same as it was from the beginning. I said earlier that zero tolerance will be maintained in this regard, BCB will not accept these. There is no chance of association with these. For which we have to exclude players like Ashraful,” Papon was quoted as saying to the media on Thursday.

“We have sent him a letter. The letter should be answered by today. It was supposed to be received by yesterday. I heard it will be given today. We will wait till today and decide whether he’ll be included in the team or not,” he stated.

“It is not possible to have any involvement. Shakib must come out of it completely. Otherwise, he will not be in the team, and the T20 captaincy comes after that. This decision is already taken,” Papon added.

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Abhishek Patil