ICC charges nine for match-fixing in BPL

Feroz Khan/Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council has charged nine cricketers for their involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. The Anti-corruption unit of ICC carried out a comprehensive investigation and found nine individuals guilty of violating the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) Anti-Corruption code during the BPL. Seven individuals have been charged for fixing-related offence and have been immediately suspended from all cricketing activities organised by BCB. The remaining two have been charged for not reporting the matter to the officials. “During its investigation, the ACSU interviewed a large number of people who were involved in BPL 2013 and collected significant evidence from a number of sources that has culminated in the charges that have been brought today,” ICC Chief Executive David Richardson was quoted as saying on the official website. “This fact demonstrates that the messages delivered by the numerous anti-corruption education programmes to all participants in the game are effective,” he said. BCB President Nazmul Hassan said that the cricket board has displayed its commitment towards dealing with the matters of corruption in the sport and will continue its zero-tolerance approach. “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,” he said. The identity of the individuals will be revealed after the end of disciplinary proceedings. The accused have been given two weeks to plead guilty or defend themselves against the fixing charges.