Hours after kicking at the stumps and uprooting them in an enraged on-field outburst, Shakib Al Hasan posted an apology on social media, but the statement itself turned out to be a strangely hilarious expression of regret.

The incident(s) occurred on Friday when Shakib was captaining Mohammedan Sporting Club against Abahani Limited in the Dhaka Premier League, a domestic competition. Twice in the game, Shakib lashed out in anger at the umpire, first kicking the stumps after an lbw decision was turned down, and later yanking them out of their holes after the on-field officials decided to call a rain break.

Expectedly, an apology was published on Shakib’s social media handles by the end of the day, where he apologised to his “fans and followers” for “losing his temper”. However, the subsequent lines didn’t really make it seem like an out-and-out apology, but a restrained expression of guilt with a pinch of justification buried amid the flurry of ‘sorrys’.

Shakib, who’s had his share of controversies in the past, begins the post by apologising for “ruining the match for everyone” and “especially those who are watching from home”, directed at his fans who run into millions on social media. And while he does admit that an experienced player “should not have reacted that way”, he also, rather bizarrely, states that “sometimes, against all odds, it happens unfortunately”.

He goes on to apologise to everyone from teams to the organising committee for the “human error”, and ends it on a rather optimistic note, saying “hopefully”, he won’t be “repeating this again in the future”, though he doesn’t sound at all sure  On Twitter, several prominent names, including Lisa Sthalekar, criticised him for his actions.

The Facebook post, though, was filled with responses from fans supporting him, but even the half-baked apology couldn’t prevent him from reportedly copping a four-match ban from the tournament. And, given that he had a go at the opposition coach (and more importantly, BCB director) Khaled Mahmud during the rain break, there’s likely more suspension time coming his way. If the tone of the apology is anything to go by, the “human error” won’t be “hopefully” repeated.

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