No ICC confirmation on Ashraful

Mohammad Ashraful was the elephant in the room when the ICC and BCB were making their announcements on match-fixing. Though he was not named, and there was no official confirmation from the ICC that he was among the nine individuals charged with alleged violation of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's anti-corruption code during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League, he was present in every other way - and had met the officials earlier in the day.

The player said he had received a letter from the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officials when he met them early in the morning at the hotel where the ACSU are staying and where the ICC-BCB press conference was held in the afternoon.

The ICC CEO Dave Richardson was pressed a number of times during the press conference to name the nine individuals but he didn't budge. However, he said that the disciplinary tribunal could find Ashraful's confession and cooperation as "mitigating factors".

"In any disciplinary proceedings where the accused show remorse, tell the truth or cooperate with the inquiry, [these] are mitigating factors which the disciplinary tribunal can take into account in determining an appropriate punishment," Richardson said. "That would apply to Ashraful as all the other individuals who may be charged."

Ashraful, speaking to reporters at same hotel, said the ASCU had handed him papers detailing what he'd revealed to them earlier. "They have given us these papers," Ashraful said, pointing to the envelope in his hand. "The same papers are supposed to be given to the BCB. The papers basically contain what I have said to them.

"I have helped the ICC, and will try to help them in the future. I have spoken from my guilty conscience, so I told the ACSU I want to return to cricket as soon as possible. The next step requires me to have a lawyer. The board won't help, because they need to stay in a safe position."

Ashraful had said earlier that the ICC respected his honesty and that he looked forward to see the other individuals charged to come out clean. "They did appreciate me, because not many come forward with the truth," Ashraful said. "I do hope those guilty will come out with the truth."

However, Ashraful's reported disclosure of his involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing in international games in 2004, 2010 and 2012 is yet to be investigated, after the BCB said last month that it would be.

Richardson clarified that the current investigation applied only to the BPL. "This investigation will be specific to allegations of fixing and attempts to fix matches in BPL 2013," Richardson said. "If other incidents do get unearthed, we will decide at a later stage whether those need to be prosecuted further."