Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Abu Mohammad Humayun Morshed, who is a retired Army major, as the head of their anti-corruption unit.

The BCB introduced the position after the International Cricket Council (ICC) made it mandatory for all cricket boards to have their own anti-corruption units.

“He [Morshed] will take responsibility of the anti-corruption department similar to what other boards have,” BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said. “It is part of ICC’s guideline, not a directive. But the person who used to oversee security, he was also looking after anti-corruption. It was the anti-corruption and security unit, like it was in ICC. It has been divided into two now. They outsource the security, and the corruption is looked at by their own department. So we have followed them.

“This is like any other BCB department. We will increase the workforce, especially when they will have to cover domestic matches. But it doesn’t mean they will police these matches all the time.”

Chowdhury also noted that Morshed will work closely with officers from the ICC anti-corruption unit during bilateral series, domestic competitions and international tournaments.

“ICC sends ACSU officials for all international events. Now he will coordinate with them, even when we do the BPL,” Chowdhury said. “There were some complications with BPL. There was some office work for it, we have a tribunal. We have tried to shape it so that he can work accordingly.”

Morshed will also keep a close eye on the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) since there have been allegations of match-fixing and corruption for years now.

Chowdhury also revealed that all the players playing in the DPL will take part in an educational programme, which he hopes will deter them from getting involved in match-fixing.

“Our anti-corruption code is for all domestic cricket played in Bangladesh,” he said. “Before the DPL, he will manage an educational programme. We did it in a simple way last season, but this time we will do it properly. We will teach them the ICC anti-corruption codes. How corruption creeps among the players and how they are approached. We want to raise awareness about these issues.

“The board will look into any matter pertaining to the anti-corruption department. If there is any complaint of conflict of interest, we have the disciplinary panel for it. They have been working independently, as you have seen with the BPL tribunal issues.”