BCB recommends five-year ban for this Bangladesh cricketer: Here's why
What's the story
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is dealing with another scandal, this time involving batter Minhazul Abedin Sabbir. The BCB's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has recommended a minimum five-year ban on Sabbir for his alleged involvement in fixing a Dhaka Premier League (DPL) match last season. The investigation centers around a game between Shinepukur Cricket Club and Gulshan Cricket Club earlier this year, which featured several strange dismissals.
Match incident
Shinepukur's Minhazul stumped off a wide ball
A key incident in the match was when Shinepukur batter Minhazul Abedin was stumped under unusual circumstances. He faced offspinner Naeem Islam, who bowled a wide ball. Minhazul backed out of the shot and wicketkeeper Alif Hasan collected it wide of the stumps. Alif missed breaking the stumps on his first try but Minhazul didn't even attempt to save his wicket when he had ample time to return safely into his crease.
Additional incident
Contact with suspected bookmakers
Further adding to the suspicion was opener Rahim Ahmed's stumping after he stepped out of his crease and didn't try to return. Documents obtained by Cricbuzz, show that the ACU found Sabbir had been in contact with suspected bookmakers and failed to report their approaches, which are serious breaches of BCB's Anti-Corruption Code.
Punishment proposal
Minimum 5-year ban likely
The ACU has recommended at least a five-year ban from all cricket for Sabbir, with the possibility of extending it to eight to 10 years or more. The case has been referred to BCB's Anti-Corruption Tribunal. If found guilty, Sabbir could face a ban of five to 10 years or even longer.
Global connections
'Wake-up call' for Bangladesh cricket
Investigators also found regular communication between Sabbir and a foreign number linked to international betting syndicates. The authorities are considering working with the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption unit and possibly Interpol. The ACU has called this case a "wake-up call" for Bangladesh cricket and plans to push for stricter measures, including tighter communication rules during matches, anti-corruption officials at high-risk games, and real-time monitoring of betting markets.