Fixing arrest takes BPL by storm

Nasir Jamshed

The arrest of a suspected Pakistani bookie took the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 tournament by a storm on Monday as players, officials were seen busy discussing the issue.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board captured Karachi resident Sajid Khan during a match on Sunday and took him to the visiting Anti-Corruption and Security Unit official before handing him over to Mirpur police.

BCB security chief Misbahuddin Serniabat said they have found the bank accounts of Nasir Jamshed of Chittagong Kings and the e-mail address of Dhaka Gladiators’ Rana Naveed-ul Hasan in the mobile phone inbox of Sajid Khan.

The police produced him before the chief metropolitan magistrate court on Monday and sought a five-day remand. The court granted remand for two days remand for further questioning.

Serniabat said during preliminary interrogation Sajid confessed to them about having a financial dealing with Chittagong Kings cricketer Jamshed, who is now at the centre of all controversy.

The Anti-Corruption and Security Unit, a private agency recruited by the BPL to work in the tournament, took very little time to quiz Jamshed.

The Pakistani was the top scorer in the BPL until this week when his form dramatically dipped. He made 290 runs in the first eight matches, but scored only 38 runs in last two matches, both of which Chittagong lost.

‘An ACSU official and an ICC match referee came to the hotel and quizzed Jamshed,’ said Nasir Ahmed, the manager of the player’s BPL franchise Chittagong Kings.

‘They had some specific allegations against the player, which they gathered after quizzing the arrested man,’ he added.

Jamshed played 12 one-day internationals for Pakistan and scored 353 runs at 35.30. His last ODI was against Sri Lanka in 2009.

BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus said it is now up to the police if they will quiz Jamshed or impose an embargo on his leaving Bangladesh.

‘The matter is now at the hands of police and they will do whatever they feel necessary. We are ready to cooperate with the police but there will be no formal investigation on behalf of us,’ he said.

Meanwhile, Dhaka Gladiators captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza played down the significance of Rana Naveed’s e-mail address in the mobile inbox of arrested Sajid Khan and said it can always happen.

‘To have my e-mail address in your inbox does not necessarily mean I have some connection with you,’ he said. ‘It can always happen and we are not taking it very seriously.’

Mashrafee made the spot-fixing allegation first when he claimed that he was approached by a former cricketer just  days before the tournament began.

‘I am not thinking of it now and concentrating on my game,’ said Mashrafee.