Shakib pulls out of contract with Betwinner
Shakib Al Hasan has pulled out of his agreement with Betwinner news, a sister concern of a betting organisation.
The development came on the heels of a threat from the cricket board to drop him from the Bangladesh squad for the upcoming Asia Cup unless he cancels the contract with Betwinner.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan confirmed the development, saying that they received a letter from Shakib Al Hasan in this regard.
“Yes, we received a letter from Shakib. He stated about his withdrawal from the contract with Betwinner,” said the BCB boss.
According to a source, Shakib also made a promise to remove the social media post associated with Betwinner, in addition to the withdrawal from the contract. Besides, he expressed loyalty to the Bangladesh cricket.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held a meeting to take a decision on the issue on Thursday. Later, BCB chief Nazmul Hasan came up with the indication that Shakib might be dropped from the squad if he retains contract with Betwinner.
The board in a letter had asked Shakib to sever ties with Betwinner news. The BCB said Shakib would have to confirm them after pulling out of the agreement with the betting-related organisation.
Due to uncertainty over the issue, BCB failed to announce Bangladesh’s Asia Cup squad even today.
The BCB boss, however, indicated that Shakib’s decision to pull out from the contract would not clear the air just now. Nazmul said Shakib will have to explain his decision to ink the contract with Betwinner after he comes back from abroad on 12 August.
“After receiving Shakib’s letter, several persons wanted us to declare the Asia Cup squad today but I didn’t agree with them. Shakib would come back from abroad on 12th (August). I would sit with him on 13th. He must explain why he did it (signed deal with Betwinner) despite knowing everything,” he added.
The BCB president said a decision would be taken after his meeting with Shakib.
According to the BCB's regulations, no player can partner with an organisation whose business is related to tobacco, alcohol or betting.
Shakib recently posted an image of himself on his social media page wearing a jersey of Betwinner News.
Every player needs to take the permission of the board before partnering with any organisation as an ambassador as per the BCB's regulation. But Shakib did not do so while teaming up with Betwinner News.