Bangladesh players fined for allegedly entertaining female guests in hotel rooms

Al-Amin Hossain and Sabbir Rahman have been fined by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for 'serious off-field disciplinary breaches' during the ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Even though the board did not reveal the exact nature of the offence, Prothom Alo are reporting that the duo had allegedly entertained female guests in their hotel rooms.

BCB’s press release stated, “A Governing Council investigation has found both players guilty of serious off-field disciplinary breaches during the current tournament. As a consequence, Al Amin has been penalized 50 percent of his BPL contract fee while Sabbir has been fined 30 percent of his BPL contract amount. The players have been reminded of their responsibility as national cricketers and have been warned that any repetition of similar acts of indiscretion in the future will result in harsher penalty.”

The fines are reportedly the highest imposed on Bangladeshi players on disciplinary grounds. Al-Amin, a Grade A player, was retained by the Barisal franchise for Tk 25 lakh (approximately USD 31,000) even as Sabbir was picked up from the A+ category by Rajshahi Kings for Tk 40 lakh (approximately USD 50,000) during the 2016-17 BPL player draft.

Al-Amin, a right-arm seam bowler, has played 6 Tests, 14 ODIs and 25 T20Is since making his debut in October 2013. The 26-year old was reported for suspect action in September 2014 and returned to the national set-up upon being cleared subsequently. His previous international appearance came against New Zealand during a World T20 game in Kolkata earlier this year.

On the other hand, Sabbir is rapidly becoming a regular presence in the Bangladesh team across all formats. He has played 2 Tests, 29 ODIs and 26 T20Is so far. However, this is not the first time that the 25-year old has found himself embroiled in a controversy. Last month, BCB had banned a raunchy advertisement featuring the right-hander and a leading model as it did ‘not fit with the image of Bangladesh cricket’.

The developments come in the wake of BPL being brought under investigation for suspected match-fixing. Rangpur Riders were the team placed under scrutiny after their all-rounder Jupiter Ghosh came out with fixing allegations against team manager Sanuar Hossain. BCB have suspended both from participating in the tournament until the investigation is complete.

While Barisal Bulls are out of contention for reaching the play-offs, Rajshahi Kings and Rangpur Riders are fighting with each other for the fourth spot. Despite being mired in numerous off-field issues, BPL is hurtling towards the knockout stages with the final slated be held at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on December 9^th.