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Cricket Buzz: Shakib banned for 6 months; Flintoff is back!
The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday cracked the whip on Shakib Al Hasan for indiscipline, handing him a six-month ban from all forms of cricket after the star all-rounder left for Barbados for Caribbean Premier League without the clearance from the Board.
BCB also decided not to grant an NOC to Shakib, who had also misbehaved with coach Chandika Hathurusingha, for any overseas competitions until the end of 2015.
The 27-year-old former captain had threatended to quit international cricket after Hathurusingha asked him to return to Bangladesh's training camp on August 1 for the upcoming tour of West Indies. The camp though is coinciding with Shakib's CPL campaign that runs between July 11 to August 16.
"He has severe attitude problem, which is unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh cricket. We think that his behaviour is such that it is directly impacting the team," BCB president Nazmul Hassan told reporters.
"This morning he called me. He thought that he had the NOC. He did not have any. He admitted that he misbehaved with the coach. He apologised for the misbehaviour," he added.
Apart from earlier disciplinary breaches during his international career, Shakib also has had several run-ins with authority this year.
His infamous lewd gesture towards the camera during the Bangladesh-Sri Lanka ODI series earned him a three-match ban, and currently, a BCB disciplinary committee is investigating his alleged brawl with a spectator during a Bangladesh-India game last month.
"We want to give a clear message. If it is repeated, he might be banned for life. There will be no compromise when it comes to discipline," Hassan said.
The talented left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner has represented Bangladesh in 134 ODIs and 34 Tests since his debut in 2006 and has gradually become the star player of the national team.
This is not the first time that Bangladesh players have expressed dissatisfaction over international schedule clashing with leagues in other countries. In 2013, Bangladesh's tour of Zimbabwe clashed with the IPL, which meant that Shakib and Tamim Iqbal would miss the lucrative T20 tournament.
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Flintoff back for Lancashire after retirement
Andrew Flintoff said he "loved" making his county cricket comeback for Lancashire on Sunday, four years after retiring from the game.
The former England all-rounder did not bat in a Twenty20 Blast fixture at Worcestershire but he took two for 36 with the ball as Lancashire (229 for four) won by 50 runs.
"Apart from getting donged for 2 6's by a couple of cheeky kids, loved it," the 36-year-old said on his Twitter account.
Flintoff quit cricket in 2010 after the previous year's Ashes series success against Australia, having played in 79 Tests, 141 one-dayers and seven Twenty20 internationals.
He made 80 first-class appearances for Lancashire and has been training with the county since the northern winter.
"It's something I never thought I'd say, that I played in the same team as Andrew Flintoff. It was a great experience and he did pretty well," said Lancashire team mate and England one-day international Jos Buttler.
"He's a legend of English cricket and you've got to pinch yourself that you're playing in the same team as him."