Bangladesh batsman Sabbir faces penalty for assaulting fan during national league match

The disciplinary committee of Bangladesh Cricket Board has recommended cancelling the deal with Sabbir Rahman for assaulting a fan during a national league match.

“He is not going to remain a contracted cricketer,” BCB President Nazmul Hassan said while briefing the media in Dhaka on Monday after getting the panel’s report.

The panel made its report after a hearing following the match referee’s report. 

Nazmul said it also recommended suspending him for six months in domestic games and fining him Tk 2 million.

The BCB held the hearing after allegations surfaced that the right-hand batsman beat up a cricket fan during a National Cricket League match in Rajshahi’s Shaheed Quamaruzzaman Stadium on Dec 21.

The middle-order batsman has been included in the initial squad for the upcoming tri-nation series.

There is no ban on him to play international cricket.

“It’s not that the decisions are final. The disciplinary panel has recommended these measures,” Nazmul said.

"But,” he added, “there are fewer possibilities of reducing these (recommended punishment). Rather these may be extended.”

Punishment for indiscipline is nothing new for Sabbir, one of the Icon Players of Bangladesh Premier League.

In the BPL 2016, he was fined 30 percent of his tournament fee of Tk 4 million. He was also fined 15 percent of match fee for misconduct with an umpire.    

In the 2017 edition of the league, he was fined 30 percent of match fee for a similar offence. 

Nazmul said this was the ‘last chance for Sabbir to correct himself’.

We are considering an indefinite ban on him if he does this again,” he said.

In international cricket, Sabbir was punished last year in two series.

In the first ODI of the Afghanistan series, he was fined 30 percent of his match fee and received two demerit points for misconduct with umpire.

He had to pay 20 percent of his match fee for indiscipline in the second ODI against England.