Ashraful confesses to 'fixing' BPL matches

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday suspended former national captain Mohammad Ashraful amid an investigation into fixing, an official said.

"As Ashraful has confessed his involvement in fixing to the ACSU team, so he should not be allowed to play any level of cricket until we get a full report of the investigation,"  Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan told reporters.

The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ASCU) has been probing allegations of wrong-doing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 competition.

"Forgive me," Ashraful told reporters at his residence as he confessed his involvement in match and spot-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League.

"I would only plead that you all forgive me for my wrongdoings against the nation and myself," Ashraful, Bangladesh's most talked-about batsman, added.

"As Ashraful has confessed his involvement in fixing to the ACSU team, so he should not be allowed to play any level of cricket until we get a full report of the investigation," Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan told reporters.

The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has been probing allegations of match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League.

The 28-year-old Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the February 2 match between Dhaka Gladiators and Chittagong Kings. The cheque he was given later bounced, according to the local media.

He was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later, against the Barisal Burners, which his team lost by seven wickets, the reports said.

Ashraful played in 61 Test matches and amassed 2737 runs for an average of 24. He scored six centuries during his Test career which spanned from 2001 to 2013. In ODIs, Ashraful managed 3468 runs in 177 matches for an average of 22.23.