Bangladesh bans cricket umpire Nadir Shah for 10 years over corruption

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DHAKA, Bangladesh — The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday banned umpire Nadir Shah for 10 years on charges of corruption.

“Shah will not be considered for retainership for 10 years and during this period he will not be eligible for any assignment under the jurisdiction of the BCB,” the board said in a statement.

The 49-year-old Shah stood in 40 one-day internationals before corruption charges against him were brought up by an Indian television channel during a sting operation last year.

The BCB formed a special committee which recently completed its inquiry and submitted its findings and recommendations to the cricket board.

“The inquiry underlines the BCB’s zero tolerance policy on corruption in the game and signifies the Board’s commitment towards upholding the spirit of cricket,” the BCB statement said.

Shah said he will appeal to the BCB against the decision and was talking to his lawyer about his options.

“The decision is totally wrong as there was no proof of my guilt,” Shah said. “They (BCB) can’t take the decision on the basis of just video footage.”

Another Bangladeshi umpire, Sharfuddoula Saikat, was cleared of any form of misconduct.

Several first class umpires from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh were allegedly exposed in India TV’s sting operation in which the reporters claimed to be from a sports management company.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board and the BCB formed inquiry committees, Sri Lanka Cricket has yet to start investigating the matter.

The International Cricket Council said in a statement that the BCB decision reflected the commitment of the ICC and its members to root out corruption “from our Great Sport.”

“The ICC takes no pleasure from the fact that an umpire has been found to have acted inappropriately and sanctioned accordingly,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said.

“This decision also reiterates cricket’s zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and should serve as a reminder to all stakeholders, be they umpires, players, curators or administrators of the risks and challenges the sport faces.

“We can only beat the corruptors by remaining vigilant and by following the procedures and protocols which are in place.”

A similar type of undercover sting operation by the former British tabloid The News of the World led to prison sentences in 2011 for Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir after they conspired to bowl no-balls at predetermined times in a test in England in 2010.

11:53ET 18-03-13