DHAKA: Two Bangladeshi cricketers declared their innocence yesterday after confirming they were among those charged with match-fixing following a probe earlier this month by the sport’s world body.
Paceman Mahbubul Alam and left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain said they would defend themselves against charges of fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a scandal that has already brought down team-mate and national hero Mohammad Ashraful.
“I am innocent, I was not involved in any kind of corruption,” said Alam, 29, who has played four Tests and four one-day matches for his country.
“I have appointed a lawyer to represent me in the (upcoming) disciplinary panel hearing,” Alam said.
Hossain, 31, also confirmed he would contest the charges laid under the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) anti-corruption code, ahead of the deadline later yesterday for officially responding to the allegations.
Selim Chowdhury, owner of the Dhaka Gladiators BPL franchise, confirmed that he and his son, co-owner Shihab Chowdhury, have also been charged along with the franchise’s Indian CEO Gaurav Rawat. Selim Chowdhury said they would all plead not guilty at the hearing.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced this month that seven unidentified people had been charged with fixing involving the Dhaka Gladiators.
Another two were charged with failing to report corruption when they were approached during the 2013 season of the Twenty20 tournament.
English all-rounder Darren Stevens became the first among the nine accused to reveal his identity, when he confirmed that he has been charged with failure to report a corrupt approach made to him. AFP
