Bangladesh cricketer Nasir Hossain banned for two years

Nasir-Hossain. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Bangladesh all-rounder Nasir Hossain has been banned for two years by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after being found guilty of breaching the anti-corruption code during the 2020-21 edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 league.

Nasir was among the eight people associated with the Pune Devils franchise, who were charged by the ICC for alleged corruption in September 2023. The 32-year-old will be once again eligible to play international cricket on April 7, 2025. He accepted the three charges against him and received a two-year ban, of which six months are suspended.

The first charge against Nasir relates to “Breach of Article 2.4.3 of the Code, in that, he failed to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of a gift that was offered to him that had a value of over US$750, namely the gift of a new iPhone 12,” said the ICC in a statement.

The second charge was that Hossain “failed to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official full details of the approach or invitation he received to engage in Corrupt Conduct via the new iPhone 12.”

The third charge against Nasir states that “he failed or refused, without compelling justification, to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Code, including (without limitation) failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (whether as part of a formal Demand pursuant to Article 4.3 or otherwise) as part of such investigation.”

Nasir has scored 1044 runs in 19 Tests, 1281 in 65 ODIs, and 371 in 31 T20Is. He has also picked up 24 wickets in ODIs and eight and seven wickets in Tests and T20Is, respectively. Nasir, who debuted in all three formats for Bangladesh in 2011, made his last international appearance in January 2018 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka against Sri Lanka in what was an ODI encounter.