Dirk Nannes reveals how spot-fixing tarnished Bangladesh Premier League

What's the story?

Former Australian seamer Dirk Nannes has opened up on the menace of spot-fixing during his stint with the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The 41-year old, who has represented plenty of T20 franchises across the world, delved deep into his prior experiences with corruption in previous editions of the Twenty20 tournament.

"The Bangladesh Premier League, that was the interesting one. The first time there were owners who'd come along. The owners weren't allowed on the ground but there would be a team manager going to the owner and saying, 'What are we doing next', then going to the coach. The security guys were saying enough was enough. But it just kept going on. The owners were sitting there on the phone", Nannes told ABC Radio.

He added, "There were a few games I watched on television when I played in the BPL, and you could hear the players on the ground yelling at the batsman because you saw it was flat-out wrong. The security guys knew it, the guys on the ground knew it, everybody knew it."

The context

Nannes' statements have emerged in the wake of the alleged corruption scandal that has threatened to shroud the ongoing Perth Test between Australia and England. Whilst insisting that the Ashes contest is devoid of any wrongdoing, the International Cricket Council (ICC) have launched an investigation into the matter.

The heart of the matter

Nannes represented Sylhet Royals during the 2013 BPL season. He has claimed that there were 'spotters' in the crowd during the various matches. They ostensibly used microphones and mobile phones to relay information from the venues. According to him, the security staff could not even remove the nefarious individuals from the stadiums.

It is pertinent to note that former Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful confessed to his role in the spot-fixing scandal that gripped the 2013 BPL edition. After he was questioned by ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), the right-hander was suspended for eight years (later reduced to five years) by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

What's next?

Playing down the latest spot-fixing saga revolving around the 2017/18 Ashes series, Nannes expressed confidence that the stench of corruption cannot permeate Australian cricket.

Alluding to the ingrained professionalism instilled by Cricket Australia (CA) as well as lucrative contracts across all levels of the sport in the country, he vehemently dismissed those allegations.

Author's take

Considering the fact that the 2013 BPL edition evinced a major corruption scandal, Nannes' claims do make sense. However, the BCB deserve praise for quickly dealing with the episode and ensuring that the subsequent seasons of the tournament progressed smoothly.