Bangladesh all-rounder Nasir Hossain (AFP Image)
The ICC has charged eight people including players, officials and a couple of Indian team owners, Parag Sanghvi and Krishan Kumar Chaudhary on different counts of corruption.
Bangladesh all-rounder Nasir Hossain and seven others have been charged by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit for alleged corrupt activities. The International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced that the eight cricketers and officials were charged with breaching anti-corruption rules in an investigation into match-fixing.
The charges are in relation to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 League. The said tournament took place between 19 November 2021- 4 December 2021. Six teams played in the tournament.
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“The ICC, on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has charged eight players and officials for breaching different counts of the ECB anti-corruption code for participants for the T10 League,” cricket’s governing body said in a statement.
“The charges relate to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League and attempts to corrupt matches in that tournament –- these attempts were disrupted,” it added.
TTen Sports Management statement on ICC charges
The TTen Sports management has expressed disappointment over the charges levied by the ICC, assuring to work closely with the global cricketing body to keep the integrity of the game intact.
“T Ten Sports Management expresses disappointment over the charges levied against eight participants of the 2021 T10 tournament held in the UAE,” the statement read.
“We take all allegations of this nature seriously and have a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of corruption. We will continue to work closely with the ICC on our calendar of T10 tournaments and do everything within our control to ensure the integrity of cricket is upheld,” it added.
Accused players and the charges imposed
Apart from Nasir, Krishan Kumar Chaudhary and Parag Sanghvi (two of the Devils’ co-owners), Rizwan Javed and Saliya Saman (two domestic players), as well as Ashar Zaidi (batting coach), Sunny Dhillon (assistant coach) and Shadab Ahamed (team manager) are facing the charges.
Bangladesh’s Nasir is facing charges under three articles.
Article 2.4.3 – Failing to disclose to the DACO receipt of a gift worth over $ 750.
Article 2.4.4 – Failing to disclose to the DACO full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct under the Code.
Article 2.4.6 – Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation carried out by the DACO in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Code.
Meanwhile, three Indians are facing the charges out of which two are co-owners of the team Pune Devils and one of their players in that edition, former Bangladesh Test batter Nasir Hossain has also been charged with breach of the league’s anti-corruption code.
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The third Indian, who is indulged in corrupt activities, is a little-known batting coach named Sunny Dhillon.
The multiple charges against the group include match-fixing, offering sums of money to players to engage in corruption and failing to cooperate with the ICC investigation.
Six of the charged – Krishan Kumar Chaudhary, Parag Sanghvi, Azhar Zaidi, Rizwan Javed, Saliya Saman and Sunny Dhillon – have been provisionally suspended and all have 14 days from 19 September 2023 to respond to the charges.
