BPL fixing: Investigation chief says no cricketer was asked to be excluded

Alex Marshall, head of the independent committee formed to investigate spot-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), has said that nine cricketers, including Anamul Haque Bijoy, who were dropped from the auction list of the twelfth edition of the BPL over fixing suspicions, have not been banned. He said the investigation report advised remaining cautious about those cricketers, but did not recommend formally accusing any of them.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Alex Marshall said the investigation was conducted completely independently and confidentially. No outside instructions were given on who would be investigated or how. After the investigation, the report was sent to the BCB General Council. A decision was then taken on whether to press charges.

He said an investigation does not begin immediately upon receiving any complaint. First, the credibility of the complaint is verified. Information from a teammate, coach, manager, journalist or the International Cricket Council about an offer of money to a cricketer in exchange for poor performance could form the basis for starting an investigation.

However, Marshall said a match-fixing allegation is not acceptable solely based on a team's unusual performance. According to him, a team being bowled out for 50 runs is not evidence of corruption. The scope of an investigation is expanded only when multiple reliable pieces of information are found and there is a possibility of a breach of the anti-corruption code.

As part of the investigation, statements of those concerned are taken, suspects are questioned and various information and evidence, including mobile phones, are examined. Generally, three types of outcomes can be found in an investigation. If strong evidence is found, a recommendation is made to press charges. If there is some suspicious information but not enough evidence to bring charges, the person concerned is kept under observation. And if no evidence is found or a complaint arises due to mistaken identity, the investigation is closed and the person is cleared.

Regarding the nine cricketers dropped from the BPL-12 auction, Alex Marshall said after reviewing the investigation report, the BPL Governing Council was warned that some individuals could pose a risk to the tournament. For that reason, it was advised not to invite them to BPL-12. However, he himself did not select the nine cricketers separately. The report contained the names of more than nine individuals, and those among them who could have had the opportunity to play in BPL-12 were cautioned.

Asked whether those cricketers can play in the next edition of the BPL, the investigation chief said there is currently no restriction on them playing cricket. Before BPL-12, it was advised not to invite them for that particular edition. Since none of those cricketers have been formally accused, there is no bar to them playing cricket.

Meanwhile, the BCB had said the independent investigation committee formed over BPL spot-fixing had submitted a final report of nearly 900 pages. It was earlier said that action was taken against nine cricketers based on that report. However, the investigation committee chief's latest statement makes it clear that the report did not recommend banning them.