Bangladesh international among eight charged over corruption plot at Abu Dhabi T10

Nasir Hossain in a group accused of multiple breaches of cricket's anti-corruption code ahead of 2021 season of the 10-over league

Bangladeshi player Nasir Hossain is one of eight people to be charged over a corruption plot at Abu Dhabi T10. ISI Photos

The ICC have charged eight people with multiple breaches of the sport's anti-corruption code.

Nasir Hossain, the former Bangladesh international, is the most high-profile of the group of players and officials accused of a list of offences related to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10.

The all-rounder, 31, played over 100 matches across formats for Bangladesh up until 2018. Most recently he has been playing minor league cricket in the US.

He captained the Pune Devils in the six matches they played at the tournament in question.

He is charged with failing to report the fact he received “a gift worth over $750”, as well as that he had been approached to engage in corrupt activity.

Hossain and Shadab Ahamed, a team manager, are also accused of failing to cooperate with the investigation into the case.

Hossain and Ahamed are the only two people among the eight whose charges have not been met with a suspension. He is free to continue playing unless the Bangladesh Cricket Board opt to ban him.

The other six participants charged by the ICC, acting on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board, who are the sanctioning body for the T10, have all been provisionally suspended.

The officials involved are Krishan Kumar Chaudhary and Parag Sanghvi, who were the co-owners of a franchise that was Karnataka Tuskers and subsequently became the Pune Devils.

Sunny Dhillon and Ashar Zaidi, who were coaches of the team, plus Rizwan Javed and Saliya Saman, who were both players, are also accused.

Among the multiple offences, the group are charged with conspiring to fix matches in the 2021 T10 season, placing bets on matches, and offering rewards to other players to participate in corruption.

The ICC's anti-corruption unit are confident they foiled the attempts to corrupt the matches and have no evidence fixing took place.

“The charges relate to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League and attempts to corrupt matches in that tournament – these attempts were disrupted,” the ICC said.

Pune Devils finished last in the 10-over competition, winning one of their six matches.

Last month, Marlon Samuels, the two-time T20 World Cup winner for West Indies, was found guilty of four corruption offences.

The Jamaican was ruled to have breached the ECB’s anti-corruption code, in relation to the 2019 Abu Dhabi T10.

He was signed by the Tuskers franchise ahead of the tournament but did not end up making the trip to the UAE for the matches.