Fixing BPL's new talking point

When this reporter was approaching the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday, a few cricket fans stopped him to ask the million-dollar question: “Brother, is it true that the match between the Dhaka Gladiators and Chittagong Kings was fixed?”
Those fans were not alone in their suspicion; whispers of suspected foulplay in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) have been in every nook and corner. The manner in which Dhaka Gladiators lost the last match of the Chittagong leg against Chittagong Kings has only served to deepen the suspicions, with Gladiators skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza adding more fuel to the flame. The Dhaka Gladiators management said that their regular captain Mashrafe was absent from the match due to a back injury, but the 'Narail Express' himself said that he was fit to play that match.
“Just before the start of the match my coach (Ian Pont) told me that 'you are not playing the match'. I can only say that I was fully fit and I learnt of my omission at the last moment,” said Mashrafe, who skipped his team's training session yesterday due to a fever, while talking with reporters at Mirpur yesterday. It is worth mentioning here that Mashrafe had also disclosed during the first edition of the tournament that he was approached for spot-fixing.
Dhaka Gladiators owner Selim Chowdhury however said it would not be right to suspect that there was something untoward in the match in question just because of Mashrafe's comments.
“You all know about his (Mashrafe's) performance and that he was struggling with his fitness, and we have doubts about whether he can play the remaining matches. Our coach took the decision on the basis of our physio's advice. We were in a hurry, so it was not possible for the team management to inform him earlier. I can assure you that there was nothing wrong,” Chowdhury told The Daily Star over the phone.
Meanwhile, a press release from the Dhaka Gladiators camp asserted that the franchise had met with Mashrafe to clear the air and that they are hopeful that the captain will return to action in the match against the Rangpur Riders today.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was not ready to pay any heed to the murmurs of match-fixing.
“I talked to members of the ICC's (International Cricket Council) Anti Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) and they said that they found nothing wrong. Without any proof one can't say that the last match in Chittagong was fixed. We are not focusing too much on this issue because there are designated anti-corruption personnel to take care of everything,” said BPL's governing council member secretary IH Mallick.