Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president, Nazmul Hassan, stated on 30 May 2013 that a Bangladesh player was questioned by the
ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU). He later confirmed the identity of the player as
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful ( bn, মোহাম্মদ আশরাফুল; born 7 July 1984) is a Bangladeshi cricketer, who has represented the Bangladesh national cricket team, captaining the team in all formats of the game. A top-order batsman ...
,
the youngest centurion in test cricket.
Initial allegation
The
Bangladesh Premier League (
BPL) had its first brush with controversy in 2012, before the tournament had even begun.
Mashrafe Mortaza
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza ( bn, মাশরাফি বিন মর্তুজা ; born 5 October 1983), Popularly known as the 'Narail Express', is a Bangladeshi international cricketer and politician who is the former captain in all three form ...
, one of Bangladesh's leading fast bowlers and captain of the
Dhaka Gladiators
The Dhaka Dominators (Dhakaiyas, Dhakaiya/ bn, ঢাকা ডমিনেটর্স) is a franchise cricket team that plays in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), representing the country's Dhaka City, Dhaka Division, Dhaka.
The team was o ...
, reported to team management that
BPL matches could be
fixed
Fixed may refer to:
* ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails
* ''Fixed'', an upcoming 2D adult animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
* Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System
* ...
using a potential spot-fixing approach by a fellow cricketer. According to Gladiators media manager
Minhaz Uddin Khan, this information was relayed to the
BPL. Furthermore, an ICC ACSU officer was already in
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...
to examine the situation.
Later, in
BPL 2013 additional allegations about match fixing emerged. The alleged match took place on 2 February, between the Dhaka Gladiators and the
Chittagong Kings teams. The 28-year-old Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka (US$12,800) to lose the match. However, according to local media, the check he received was returned for insufficient funds. He was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later against the
Barisal Burners: his team lost by seven wickets.
Investigation
Mohammad Ashraful
Mohammad Ashraful ( bn, মোহাম্মদ আশরাফুল; born 7 July 1984) is a Bangladeshi cricketer, who has represented the Bangladesh national cricket team, captaining the team in all formats of the game. A top-order batsman ...
was investigated several times by ACSU and confessed to the media that he had revealed everything to the ICC. He later apologised to the nation for his misbehaviour.
Action against fixing
Former Bangladesh spinner
Shariful Haque was banned in September 2012 after an inquiry found him guilty of spot-fixing during the first edition of the
BPL.
A Pakistani national was arrested in separate spot-fixing charges in 2012. In March 2013, the BCB handed down a 10-year ban to umpire
Nadir Shah
Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian ...
after a sting operation by an Indian TV channel found him apparently willing to fix matches for cash.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided "not to involve" former captain Mohammad Ashraful in any form of cricket until the ICC's ACSU submits its report.
See also
*
Controversies involving the Indian Premier League
*
2012 Indian Premier League spot-fixing case
*
Match fixing
References
2013 in Bangladeshi sport
Bangladesh Premier League
Cricket controversies
Sports betting scandals
Corruption in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Premier League
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