Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan commented that he isn’t taking the ban lightly. He reveals how  “ignorance” was the biggest lesson that he has understood following the ban.

Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC for two years in October last after he accepted breaching 3 rules of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code. “I have realized that there are certain things that you just cannot take lightly due to ignorance and probably that is the biggest lesson I learned during this time,” Shakib said.

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He said, “It is a very difficult time for me because at the back of the mind you always think that I am not playing or not being able to play. The good thing is that I was able to stay with my wife during the birth of our second child. I could not do that when my first daughter was born and I am trying to be with them in the lockdown. For me making sure that I am not depressed is extremely important as I am locked down in my house.”

Shakib was in a purple patch when he was banned by the ICC. The 33-year-old said that he expects himself to pick continue from his rich form once he is back to the international fold.

Shakib said, “First of all, I want to return to the game. I will return to the game after 4-5 months. No other decision (will be taken) before that. The biggest challenge is to be able to start again from where I had stopped, that is what I’m expecting from myself. I wish I can start where I ended up. That is the challenge for me, nothing else.”

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Shakib Al Hasan was one of the best performances at the World Cup last year. Batting at number 3, Shakib amassed a ton of runs for Bangladesh. He revealed how former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers inspired him to bat at number 3. He said, “I was talking to De Villiers during the BPL before the World Cup. It was just a normal conversation. He told me that at times he has batted late. If he had batted at number three then he could have contributed more to the team and scored more runs.

Shakib added, “Thinking about the team, he always had to play at four, five, six. His theory was to play in the middle order and score 70-80. It sometimes gives an advantage to the team, and sometimes it doesn’t work. But had he batted at three, then he could have scored 100-120 and might have won more.”