The latest match-fixing scandal of Pakistan gripped the Bangladesh cricket team on Sunday as they resumed practice after two days off at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The Tigers were also under the scanner just two months ago at the same Lord’s after Sakib al Hasan had confessed a day before their Test match against England that he was also approached by bookies.
The next few days after Sakib’s confession the perennially overenthusiastic British media were busy in digging deep to find any involvement of any Bangladeshi cricketers in any kind of scandal at any time.
Bangladesh’s matches against Canada and Kenya in the World Cup 2003 and involvement of cricketers with the renegade Indian Cricket League were of supreme interest to them, although at the end of the day no-one was able to unearth any scandal.
‘It is a disgrace,’ former captain Akram Khan told reporters about the Pakistan scandal. ‘Naturally this will have an impact on world cricket and Bangladesh will not be any different.’
‘As of Bangladesh we have taken this issue quite seriously and I am confident that our players are well aware of the consequences and so they won’t make any mistakes,’ said Akram, also a selector.
Senior cricketer Mohammad Ashraful said some of his team-mates had been approached by bookies regularly but they all had the courage to refuse the lure of this cheap money.
‘We are proud to play for our country,’ said Ashraful. ‘I am sure our players are matured enough to tackle this kind of situation.’
‘Sakib and Tamim have been offered earlier but hardly had any effect as they reported it to the board immediately and it only proved our loyalty to the country,’ said Ashraful.
