Bangladesh selectors face inquiry for taking ''commissions''

Dhaka, July 28 (UNI) Bangladesh cricket has been rocked by allegations of selectors taking commissions from national captain Habib-ul-Bashar and star batsman Mohammad Ashraful for negotiating their endorsement deals.

Chief selector Faruque Ahmed and his colleague Athar Ali Khan and the players are now facing a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) inquiry.

''If it is found that the selectors took commissions or in any way influenced the deal with the national cricketers, we will take action,'' BCB Chief Executive Officer Mahmud-ur-Rahman told a press conference here.

''It's the selectors' word against that of the media,'' Rahman said, referring to the media reports which have levelled the accusations against the officials.

Akthar, the local distributor of sportswear giant Reebok, is accused of negotiating Bashar and Ashraful's deal with the company and later taking commissions for it from the players.

Faruque, whose sports company is in business with BCB, is reported to have worked out Ashraful's stint with a cricket club in lieu of commission.

''I deny all charges that are brought against me. The allegations are baseless but the degree of it is serious,'' Faruque said while addressing the stormy press conference.

''My performance and track record as a player and selector should have been reflected in the reports that were written recently,'' he added.

Akthar also denied the charges and pleaded ignorance of the said deal between the players and the company.

''I did not know anything about the deal. Reebok International or Reebok India, from where my company brought goods, did not consult with me about the endorsement deal,'' he said.

''I am a shareholder of the company and I am only concerned with the distribution of the goods in Bangladesh and not their promotional activities,'' he added.

The BCB Chief Executive said an investigation into the matter will also lead to the questioning of both Bashar and Ashraful.

''The working committee's report is what we will exert on, and once the chairman of the cricket committee is back from abroad, the investigation will gather pace,'' he said.

Meanwhile, the cricketers, who are currently on tour of Zimbabwe, refused to give any details of the deal but admitted that the money involved was lucrative.

''What I can say is that it's a very lucrative deal and it would mean a lot to Bangladeshi cricketers,'' Bashar said.

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