Violation of ICC Anti-Corruption Code
Shohely admitted to breaching five provisions of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The charges were linked to corrupt approaches made during the tournament in South Africa. Though she was not part of Bangladesh’s squad for the event, the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) found her guilty of attempting to influence a teammate.
Attempted match-fixing through social media
The investigation focused on Shohely’s conversation with a fellow cricketer, identified as ‘Player A,’ on Facebook Messenger on February 14, 2023. Before the Bangladesh-Australia match, Shohely attempted to convince her teammate to take part in match-fixing.
Offer of financial inducement
According to the ICC’s findings, Shohely told the player that her ‘cousin,’ who bets on his phone, had asked if she would agree to get out hit wicket during the Australia match. She offered 2 million Bangladesh Takas in exchange for executing the fix. She also told the teammate that additional payment was possible if the amount was not sufficient.
Request for secrecy and immediate reporting
Shohely assured the player that full secrecy would be maintained and advised her to delete their conversation. However, the player rejected the approach and reported the matter to the ACU immediately, providing voice recordings as evidence. Shohely had deleted the messages from her own device, but the ACU was able to retrieve the information.
ICC enforces five-year ban
Shohely admitted to violating Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.4.4, and 2.4.7 of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Code. She accepted a five-year ban, which will take effect from February 10, 2025. The ICC continues its efforts to enforce strict anti-corruption measures in cricket.
