‘Hope you are not angry anymore’ – Faf du Plessis takes a sly dig at Shakib Al Hasan for incident with umpire
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis applauded Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for his performance in the recent T20I series win over Australia but also cheekily reminded him of his highly contentious expression of anger at an umpire earlier in the year.
Shakib finished as the ‘Player of the Series’ for his massive contribution in Bangladesh’s unprecedented 4-1 series win over the Aussies in August.
The experienced left-hand batter and left-arm spinner was the second-highest run-maker for the low-scoring five-match rubber and also bagged seven wickets at an economy rate of just 6.46.
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Faf du Plessis pulled Shakib Al Hasan’s leg.
In a tweet made on Thursday (August 26), Du Plessis congratulated his Asian counterpart and also heaped rich praise over him. But then also quietly slip in a sledge by reviving memories of the time when Shakib completely lost his cool at an umpire.
Hey @Sah75official, Congrats on beating Oz and being named the Man of the Series! Always a great Moment! Hope you are not angry anymore
— Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) August 26, 2021
Shakib Al Hasan responds to Faf du Plessis’ dig over umpiring incident
Amusingly, Shakib made it a point to respond to Du Plessis, telling him that he is “pretty chilled now, both on and off the field.”
Thanks @Faf1307 , I'm pretty chilled now, both on and off the field. And, yes you are right, it was indeed a massive moment!
— Shakib Al Hasan (@Sah75official) August 26, 2021
The umpire incident talked about here is related to a domestic game played in the middle of June. Featuring in a Dhaka Premier League T20 encounter for Mohammedan Sporting Club against Abahani Limited, Shakib unacceptably gave the standing umpire an angry mouthful, not once but twice.
Shit Shakib..! You cannot do this. YOU CANNOT DO THIS. #DhakaLeague It’s a shame. pic.twitter.com/WPlO1cByZZ
— Saif Hasnat (@saifhasnat) June 11, 2021
One more… Shakib completely lost his cool. Twice in a single game. #DhakaLeague Such a shame! Words fell short to describe these… Chih… pic.twitter.com/iUDxbDHcXZ
— Saif Hasnat (@saifhasnat) June 11, 2021
In clips that went viral the moment they appeared over social media, Shakib Al Hasan was seen first kicking the stumps in disgust when an LBW appeal didn’t give him the desired result.
In another over, he then protested the umpires’ decision to go off the field due to bad weather by taking off the stumps and smashing them onto the turf in Dhaka.
It was absolutely shambolic behaviour on the part of Bangladesh’s most iconic cricketer, who is an inspiration to aspiring young talents all over his country and the world.
And though Shakib later apologised for his misconduct, the incident raised eyebrows around the cricketing circle and led to further scrutiny over player behaviour at both the domestic and the international level in Bangladesh.