Bangladesh levies record fine on two cricketers for entertaining female guests in hotel rooms

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has levied a record fine on two national team players for what it called “serious” breaches of discipline after they reportedly entertained female guests in their hotel rooms. [caption id=“attachment_3132180” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The BCB also fined Sabbir and Afghan cricketer Mohammad Shahzad 15 percent of their match fees over an onfield bust-up. AFP[/caption] Pace bowler Al-Amin Hossain and batsman Sabbir Rahman were both fined around $15,000 for “serious off-field disciplinary breaches” during the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 tournament, said the BCB in a statement late Tuesday. It gave no details of the charges against the players, but the Prothom Alo daily reported online that they had taken female guests to their hotel rooms during the tour. “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 BCB said. The BPL is modelled on the glitzy Indian Premier League and has been blighted by match-fixing scandals, prompting authorities to suspend the meet for two years. Seven franchises are playing in the current edition, which includes such major names as Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, West Indies’ Chris Gayle and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara. The fines are the highest ever imposed on a Bangladeshi player on disciplinary grounds. Al-Amin’s amounts to 50 percent of his BPL contract money for playing for the Barisal Bulls while Sabbir’s is equal to 30 percent of his pay from the Rajshahi Kings. The BCB also fined Sabbir and Afghan cricketer Mohammad Shahzad 15 percent of their match fees over an onfield bust-up Shahzad, who was also banned for two matches, nudged Sabbir with the bat when the Bangladeshi player celebrated his dismissal during a match on Monday.