Sponsors not terminating contracts with Shakib yet

Amid all the bad news Shakib Al Hasan is receiving, the news that most of his sponsor companies are going to stay on their contracts with him must be a bit reassuring to the country's ace all-rounder.

Shakib has been banned by the International Cricket Council for two years, with a year of the punishment being suspended, for breaching an article of their Anti-Corruption Code thrice during 2018.

Shakib is under contracts with various companies as the Brand Ambassador of their products and all those contracts were apparently in jeopardy after it was revealed that Shakib will be out of the cricketing scene for one year.

The Business Standard talked to some of the companies that have made a contract with Shakib and most of them have said they are not thinking of terminating their contracts with Shakib. The Business Standard (TBS) understands that even though Shakib will be out of action for a year, his market value and popularity among the mass people will remain the same.

Huawei, a leading global company in ICT and telecommunication solutions told TBS that they will not terminate their contract with Shakib. Shakib first signed a contract with Huawei in 2016 and that contract was renewed in 2017.

United Commercial Bank has also informed TBS that there is no question of terminating their contract with Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib appeared in many Upay advertisements, which is the mobile banking service provided by the bank.

Shakib recently gave birth to another controversy after signing a contract with telecom company Grameenphone. According to Bangladesh Cricket Board, Shakib breached a contract with the cricket board by signing this contract (with Grameenphone). 

TBS contacted Grameenphone to know about their stand on this issue and also to know how they will work on their contract with Shakib. But the Grameenphone authority refrained from making any comment on this.

Ride-sharing service Uber also has a contract with Shakib. TBS asked them if they were considering terminating their contract with Shakib, Uber replied that they are not sure yet and will let TBS know very soon.

Ice cream company Za 'n Zee also has a contract with Shakib and Shakib appeared in many of their advertisements. Shakib also did a Facebook live for them, but when contacted about whether they will annul their contract with Bangladesh's leading superstar, they said that the hierarchy has not come to any decision yet.

Shakib has also made a contract with Runner Motorcycles, but they did not disclose their decision on their contract with Shakib for now.

Other companies with which Shakib has made contract could not be reached. The companies include Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Ifad and Gulf Oil Bangladesh. Shakib is the brand ambassador Unilever's product of 'Lifebuoy', GSK's malt-based food drink 'Boost' and Ifad's 'Eggy Noodles'. He has appeared in several advertisements for these products. 

Shakib will be eligible to return to cricketing action on October 29, 2020. During his ban period, he will miss eight of Bangladesh national team's series, which include the Asia Cup and the first round of the T20 World Cup.