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Former Bangladesh cricket captain and national hero Mohamad Ashraful yesterday admitted match-fixing, further shaking confidence in the game and deepening a betting scandal that has engulfed Asian cricket. |
Ashraful was earlier suspended from the sport by Bangladesh’s cricket chiefs following allegations of fixing during international matches and a domestic Twenty20 tournament. “I should have not done this injustice to the nation. I feel guilty,” Ashraful, who captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009, told the Independent TV channel.
“I would only say ‘Please all forgive me, my conduct was improper’,” he added.
The 28-year-old’s admission is the latest controversy to hit the sport, already reeling from spot-fixing and betting probes in neighbouring India where three cricketers and numerous bookmakers are among those arrested.
Ashraful apologised for his involvement in fixing and said he had confessed all to anti-corruption officials from the International Cricket Council.
His apology came shortly after the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan announced the right-handed batsman had been suspended pending the full report of an investigation by the ICC officials.
The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has been probing allegations of match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 competition.
Ashraful became the country’s youngest Test centurion in 2001 at the age of 17 and captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009.
The alleged fixing involves a match between the Dhaka Gladiators and the Chittagong Kings teams during the second edition of the BPL.
Local media have reported that 28-year-old Gladiators star Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the February 2 match. The batsman was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later against the Barisal Burners, which his team lost by seven wickets, reports have said.
The ACSU team left Bangladesh on Monday and is expected to hand over the findings of its probe within a week, Hassan said.
During the ACSU’s probe into the BPL, the officials discovered allegations of fixing during some international matches, Hassan said, prompting a wider probe.
“This is no more limited to the BPL. The ICC itself will launch a full-fledged massive investigation into those allegations,” Hassan said, without giving details.
Hassan made the comments after he was asked about a recent newspaper report alleging Ashraful’s involvement in fixing in Twenty20 matches between Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh.