Batsman banned for assault on fan
BANGLADESH batsman Sabbir Rahman has had his central contract revoked for assaulting a young cricket fan who taunted him during a match last month.
The 26-year-old was also slapped with a six-month ban from the domestic game and a fine of two million taka (about R296 000) over the incident, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said.
The decision came after Rahman was found to have assaulted a young fan, believed to be aged 12, who had taunted him during a first-class National Cricket League match in Rahman’s home town of Rajshahi on December 21.
During an innings break, the middle-order batsman went behind the sightscreen and beat the boy. He was also under fire for arguing with the match referee when he was called for a hearing.
“We would like to send a strong message to all players on the first day of New Year. No matter how big a player one might be, he must maintain discipline,” Hassan told reporters.
Rahman, who has played 10 Tests, 46 one-day internationals and 33 Twenty20 internationals since his international debut in 2014, has a history of disciplinary problems.
In 2016 the BCB fined him 30% of his contract money in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 tournament when he allegedly took a female guest to his hotel room during the tournament. — AFP