Rafique admits match was fixed

MOHAMMAD RAFIQUE

Former Bangladesh cricketer Mohammad Rafique denied allegations, published in a leading Bangla daily, that he had introduced Mohammad Ashraful to fixers but admitted that officials of the Dhaka Gladiators had compelled their players to 'throw' a match during the second season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
In an interview with a local TV channel, Rafique, who was bowling coach for the Dhaka Gladiators during the BPL, denied he was involved and instead pointed the finger of blame towards another ex-cricketer Sanwar Hossain, who was employed as team manager. The match in question is the Dhaka Gladiators versus Chittagong Kings game in the second edition of the BPL.

KHALED MAHMUD

“The officials compelled players to throw the match,” said Rafique. “The night before the match, the players would sit with the team officials in Sanwar's room. He would make the deals through a foreign liaison officer,” he said.
“This person would get into the dressing room to speak to Sanwar and then get out. I only came to notice him at a later stage. I suspected him ever since,” continued Rafique.
“Players were told that if they didn't follow instructions they would not get to play any matches,” said the former left-arm spinner.
Contacted by The Daily Star, Sanwar flatly denied the allegations: “These are not true. The reports that have been coming in the papers these days are without any evidence and I won't comment on them,” he said.

KHALED MASHUD

On a similar note ex-national captain Khaled Mahmud also denied the accusations that he had introduced Ashraful to fixers. “Set up an investigating committee and if I am found guilty then I am ready to be punished. But one cannot tarnish my image without any proof,” said Mahmud.
The report published in Prothom Alo, also alleged that slow-left arm bowler Mosharraf Hossain Rubel , who played for the Gladiators, was also involved in spot-fixing. According to the report Hossain was instructed to leak a stipulated amount of runs in a specific period of the match -- a task which he could not accomplish.
Rubel stated that he was 'surprised' to see his name on the paper. “There is a problem if I bowl badly, there's a problem if I bowl well. It all seems very strange. How can some one say this when there's no evidence?” said Rubel.