Watch: Cricket ad pulled for being too raunchy

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has pulled a television advert starring one of their batsmen for being too raunchy.

Sabbir Rahman, who made his Test debut against England last week, stars in an advert for a Bangladesh soft drink that has been running since August.

But his performance in Chittagong, where he made 64 as his team fell 22 runs short of victory, has lifted his profile in a country where cricketers command massive endorsement deals and their images are often used in high-profile marketing campaigns.

The fact Sabbir is already fronting a nationwide television advertising campaign at the start of his career demonstrates the star potential of Bangladesh cricketers.

The advert shows Sabbir drinking a bottle of Oscar, a non-alcoholic malt drink, before a model dressed as a policewoman walks in and handcuffs him. Sabbir says drinking Oscar means "a little privacy is indeed needed".

Complaints on social media led the BCB to order the advert to be taken off television screens. "Bangladesh Cricket Board has circulated a directive to stop broadcasting of the ad," a Bangladesh Cricket Board official told the media.

"It does not fit with the image of Bangladesh cricket."

Sabbir is a doubt for the second Test in Dhaka due to a stomach virus that left him ill in Chittagong. Mosaddek Hossain, who played in the one-day series against England, has been called up as cover.

Mosaddek scored three double hundreds in first-class cricket last year but played in the one-day series mainly as an off-spinner.

The result in Chittagong, although a crushing disappointment, has given Bangladesh the
belief they can beat England.

"Everyone is saying that we played well, but we have discussed as a team that we cannot be so happy with so little. We should have won the game," said Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh opener. "We can take positives from the first Test, like competing for five days. We will try to win the next game, which is a belief that is held by every cricketer who plays for Bangladesh.

"We have to reduce our mistakes, and bowl according to the wicket."