Bangladesh's Ashraful Admits Match-fixing, Apologises
4 June 2013
Former Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful on Tuesday admitted match-fixing and apologised for the latest damaging scandal to hit the sport
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"I should have not done this injustice to the nation. I feel guilty," he told the Independent TV channel in a televised interview.
"I would only say 'Please all forgive me, my conduct was improper'," he added.
ICC probes match-fixing in Bangladesh
His apology came shortly after the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan announced the right-handed batsman had been suspended pending the full report of an investigation by the International Cricket Council.
The ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has been probing allegations of match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 competition.
"I felt that I have done an injustice, so I have told them (the ACSU team) the truth at the first chance. I tried to help the ICC as much as I could for the welfare of our cricket," Ashraful said.
"You all know me, I have been playing international cricket for 12 years. I did not tell them a single lie," he added.
Ashraful became the country's youngest Test centurion in 2001 at the age of 17 and captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009.
The alleged fixing involves a match between the Dhaka Gladiators and the Chittagong Kings teams during the second edition of the BPL.
Local media have reported that 28-year-old Gladiators star Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the February 2 match.