DHAKA, (Reuters) – Nine individuals face five-year to life bans from cricket after being charged with match-fixing and other offences during this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.
“The charges relate to an alleged conspiracy within the Dhaka Gladiators franchise to engage in match-fixing and spot-fixing activity during matches in the BPL 2013, as well as failures by individuals to report approaches made to them to be involved in the conspiracy,” the ICC said in a statement.
The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the ICC has charged seven of them with fixing-related offences while two were accused of failing to report corrupt approaches made to them, the statement said.
Those charged have two weeks to plead guilty or defend themselves before an anti-corruption tribunal, the game’s governing body said.
ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson did not mention the names of the individuals but said “they are not all players” at a press conference jointly arranged with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Dhaka.
Those found guilty of fixing offences will face bans from cricket of five years to life while those guilty of failing to report a corrupt approach face between one and five years, Richardson said.
Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful confessed to match-fixing after being suspended by the BCB pending an investigation in June.
“I tried my level best to cooperate with the investigation. I want to play cricket again,” the 28-year-old batsman told reporters after a meeting with ICC officials in Dhaka.
Talented right-handed batsman Ashraful has played 61 tests and 177 one-day international matches since his 2001 debut.
BCB President Nazmul Hassan said: “The BCB is committed to a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption in the sport and has demonstrated its resolve to deal robustly with such matters by engaging the services of the ICC and its ACSU.
“The BCB is committed to doing everything possible to defend it from the very small group of people who are willing to compromise the values of the overwhelming majority for personal greed and, in so doing, bring disgrace upon themselves and their associates, as well as tarnishing the image of the game.”
