ICC bans Bangladesh's Shohely Akhter for five years on corruption charges

Bangladesh offspinner Shohely Akhter has become the first female cricketer to be banned for corruption. Akhter, who has played two ODIs and 13 T20Is, was found guilty of attempting to fix, offering a bribe and failing to disclose full details of an approach to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code (ACU), as well as obstructing the investigation.

She has been banned for five years from all cricket after she admitted breaching five provisions of the anti-corruption code.

The charges against her centre around an approach she made to a Bangladesh cricketer during the 2023 Women's T20 World held in South Africa. Akhter, 36, was not part of the Bangladesh playing squad for that World Cup, having last played in October 2022.

The ACU's investigation focused on Shohely's conversation on Facebook Messenger with the cricketer on February 14, 2023. It was the day of the T20 World Cup match between Bangladesh and Australia. She made an offer of 2 million Bangladeshi Taka (USD 16,400 approx.) to the player to get out hit wicket during the match.

The player who was approached by Akhter reported the matter to the ACU immediately, providing all the voice notes from Shohely, who had deleted those files on her devices.

When interviewed by the ACU, Shohely confirmed that she did send the voice messages to the player but initially claimed that "she only did so in order to show her friend that members of the Bangladesh team were not involved in fixing, not because she was genuinely making a corrupt approach".

In her first interview with the ACU, Akhter showed the ACU screenshots which she claimed were a conversation between her and a friend about the "challenge". She said that these messages had been exchanged prior to February 14, when she contacted the Bangladesh player. The ACU however confirmed that those files were created after February 14 by "reviewing underlying metadata for the messages".

In deciding on the length of her ban, the ICC said it had considered the circumstances of the case, "including giving Ms Akther credit for agreeing an outcome that avoids the need for a hearing and so saves considerable time and money for use elsewhere in the fight against corruption, and has considered relevant precedents.

"The ICC therefore considers that a period of ineligibility of five (5) years is reasonable and proportionate. Ms Akhter has agreed to this sanction. As such, a period of ineligibility of five (5) years is imposed."

As such, neither Akhter nor the ICC has any right of appeal against this decision.

The ACU which oversees all senior international cricket, does not make public information on investigations that do not lead to charges, but it is believed that a small number of investigations around women's events have taken place in the past. This, however, is believed to be the first time an investigation of an attempt to corrupt at a women's event has reached a conclusion with charges.