Sabbir Rahman loses BCB central contract, fined and suspended

Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman has been stripped of his BCB central contract as punishment for assaulting a fan during a first-class match. Sabbir has also been fined Tk 20 lakh ($25,000 approx) and barred from playing domestic cricket for the next six months.

Sabbir was the first cricketer in Bangladesh to be punished in such a way. He was in Grade B in the BCB's list of contracted cricketers, earning $30,000 in 2017. By being fined $25,000, he breaks his own record, having been fined Tk 12 lakh ($16,000 approx) for a serious disciplinary breach during the 2016 BPL.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan spelled out these punishments after the disciplinary committee's hearing on Monday. Hassan said the committee's recommendations to punish Sabbir were "final" - meaning that he approved of them - although the board directors will have to endorse them in a meeting later.

The incident took place on December 21, the second day of Rajshahi Division's National Cricket League game against Dhaka Metropolis. Apart from assaulting the fan, Sabbir also allegedly misbehaved with the match referee after being summoned for investigation.

According to the committee's vice-chairman Sheikh Sohel, Sabbir apologised for his actions during Monday's hearing. Sohel said Sabbir's history of disciplinary breaches were kept in mind while deciding the punishment.

"We felt that he didn't learn anything from his past two punishments," Sohel said. "We have meted out a heavy punishment. He is out of the national contract, which is a huge blow. He is also fined Tk 20 lakh. But this is his last chance. If he has another brush with indiscipline, he will be permanently suspended."