The International Cricket Council refused to comment on whether it was investigating allegations of match-fixing in international matches involving Bangladesh at the joint press conference at the Radisson Hotel in Dhaka on Tuesday. A five-member ICC delegation, led by CEO David Richardson, submitted the much-anticipated report on match-fixing and spot-fixing claims in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League to the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday.
It was reported in a Bangla daily on May 31, 2013 that certain individuals, including former national captain Mohammad Ashraful, might have been involved in corruption during past Bangladesh international matches.
The matches in question are a One Day International against India in Dhaka on December 26, 2004; a Test match against India in Chittagong from January 17-21, 2010; and a group game against New Zealand at the ICC World T20 last year on September 21 in Sri Lanka.
It was also reported that Ashraful, who was earlier suspended indefinitely, had pointed his finger at some international matches when he confessed to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, which further raised doubt among the cricketing fraternity.
The ICC, though, has declined to say if it was probing the international matches in question.
‘There has been speculation over what [Mohammad] Ashraful might have said in his statement. This investigation and inquiry is only for allegations into fixed matches in BPL 2013,’ Richardson said.
Former South African wicket-keeper Richardson went on to state that if new information regarding the international matches was to surface, the ICC would look into it and take the necessary action.
‘The investigation is ongoing and if there is other information that does get unearthed, then we would decide at a later stage whether those [guilty] need to be prosecuted further. At this stage, the charges relate to the matches of 2013 [BPL] only,’ Richardson added.
Richardson further said that they would like to distance themselves from the investigation that was carried out by the ACSU.
‘Our policy is quite clear. We won’t comment on the investigation that the ACSU is dealing with,’ he said.
-With New Age input
