Image courtesy of: The Straits Times
Rahim never once suspected Ashraful of being involved in spot-fixing
Spot-fixing seems to be the talk of the cricketing community nowadays and Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has finally broken his silence after veteran batsman Mohammad Ashraful admitted to taking part in corrupt activities.
Rahim noted Ashraful’s admission of guilt was a slap in the face to Bangladesh and had severely dented the “pride” and trustworthiness of the national team.
The wicketkeeper-batsman also stated that he was shocked and surprised when the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) had released the news about Ashraful being involved in corrupt activities.
“Our pride was in the knowledge that none of our players are involved in such things,” Mushfiqur told ESPNcricinfo. “A few of our players got offers but said no, so hats off to them. It was a matter of pride that whether we played badly, nobody was in this business. The investigation is still ongoing but what has happened is very wrong.
“I felt bad at first. I couldn’t believe it. Afterwards, if you talk about the reality the investigation is still ongoing but when I heard it from him, I felt worse. Taking the BPL matches aside, when I heard about the international matches, I felt it was unusual and unbelievable.”
Ashraful’s confession was first made public by the Dhaka-based newspaper Prothom Alo, in which they reported that one of the international matches Ashraful had fixed came during Rahim’s reign as skipper.
Having played alongside Ashraful for eight years, Rahim never once suspected his team-mate of being involved in corrupt activities.
However, with the truth having come to light, Rahim has called for swift action and a harsh punishment against Ashraful in order to deter any other players considering to get involved in the illegal trade.
“We have been with him for so long, but we never realised what was going on,” Rahim said. “Mashrafe [Mortaza] bhai said that he slept in his room.
“If he is guilty, he should be given punishment. Our younger players should know this is a big crime. You cannot betray a nation, it doesn’t matter how big or small a player you are.”
However, Rahim mentioned that if Ashraful were to be allowed to play again, then he would have no problems welcoming him back into the side.
“I hope he returns to cricket quickly,” Rahim added.