Mohammed Ashraful is the name that has featured most prominently for all the wrong reasons in Bangladeshi cricket discussions over the past week. The talented former national captain found himself at the centre of match and spot-fixing scandals from this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), but yesterday, a local newspaper introduced three other notable names to the discussion. Former captain Khaled Mahmud Sujon, Khaled Mashud Pilot and Mohammad Rafique.
The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit Acsu has been to Dhaka regularly since the conclusion of the Bangladesh Premier League 2013. The body raised suspicion about two matches that the Dhaka Gladiators lost in the tournament.
Ashraful has been queried by Acsu more than any other player, and it was revealed that he not only admitted to wrongdoing in the BPL, but also revealed his role in fixing in a number of international fixtures, most recently at the World Twenty20 last year in Sri Lanka.
The 28-year old informed investigators that he was introduced to an India-based bookie back in 2004 by Mahmud, Mashud and Rafique. Since then, Ashraful accepted three fixing assignments from different bookies in exchange for money.
The first of these was in 2004, in Bangladesh’s 100th ODI. The night before the match, Ashraful was introduced to an Indian bookie who offered him Tk400,000 to ensure that Bangladesh scored at least 60 runs in the first 15 overs. In the match, Ashraful scored 41 off 28 balls to fulfil the requirement and Bangladesh went on to win the match.
Mahmud who was the assistant coach of the national team in 2009 introduced another Indian bookie, Sunil Bhatia, to Ashraful. Bangladesh had just returned from the West Indies and the introduction was made at Mahmud’s apartment, with Rafique present.
Bhatia offered Ashraful money to score six runs in the three overs after lunch in the Chittagong Test against India in 2010. Ashraful failed to complete the assignment as he was dismissed before lunch in both innings of the match.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan Papon in his reaction on the issue said: “I am aware of the reports that have been circulating in the media. However, as there is an investigation going on, we are not in a position to go into details as it may hamper the process. We will wait till the investigation is complete and we will be guided by the anti-corruption code and code of ethics. The BCB has a zero-tolerance policy on corruption in cricket and we will not show lenience towards anyone who is found guilty.”
“I wish to reiterate our commitment towards eradicating corruption from this noble game. Unfortunately there is a presence of dishonesty in the world of cricket which calls for greater vigilance.
Because of this global threat we had purposely engaged the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption & Security Unit in the second edition of the BPL.
“Due to the controversies it is easy to find fault in the BPL and some have expressed concern over the future of this event. I feel it is a premature assumption. The BPL is potentially an asset to Bangladesh cricket and if there are weaknesses then we will work towards overcoming those flaws and making the tournament stronger,” said Nazmul.
Ashraful is said to have revealed all this to the ACSU team, and the news was somehow leaked and made public. However, at this point, there is little evidence to support the various allegations of wrongdoing.
It has been learnt that Mahmud, Rafique and Mashud might file a defamation lawsuit against Ashraful and the newspaper that first published the news of their alleged involvement. If that should happen, the burden of proof will fall on Ashraful and the newspaper in question.