ACSU report may delay Dhaka league

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he is unsure whether Bangladesh's domestic one-day competition, the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, will start on time. He admitted to an underlying anxiety around the possibility of finding more names in the BPL corruption report to be submitted by the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) later this month.

The Dhaka Premier League has been re-scheduled to start on July 3 while its players' transfers have been scheduled for June 23. Hassan expects to receive the ACSU report during the ICC annual conference to be held in London from June 25 to 29.

Mohammad Ashraful is the only player to have confessed to his involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing during this season's BPL, after being questioned by the ACSU. It is still not clear whether there are any other players or officials involved, but Hassan doesn't want to start a tournament without a clean slate.

"Unless I have the ACSU report, it will be difficult for me to hold the players' transfer," Hassan said. "I have to look at all the sides of the matter. What would happen if there are more names in the ACSU report? I am not saying it's there, but I pray to Allah that there are no other names. The day I heard that someone like Ashraful has confessed, the ACSU report became my topmost priority."

Hassan said that the BCB will dole out punishments independently, but will take note of ACSU's recommendation. "They are probably investigating further from the last time I met them. It may also happen that since I am going to London to attend the ICC annual conference, they could give it to me there.

"The ACSU will have a recommendation but the final decision is BCB's. We have asked for the report, but I don't want to hurry them. What if it becomes a major problem? Please don't get me wrong but I don't want to be in a situation where I have to pull players out of Premier League clubs."

Apart from the ACSU report, the BCB chief almost ruled out league for another reason - lack of available cricket grounds.

"Our plan was to do it in September," Hassan said. "We have no grounds, all of which are being worked on. The players requested me to start the league, and we have kept it. The clubs and players can give us suggestions, but the final decision lies with the BCB."