Caught on tape

It began with a single recording. A quiet act of courage by a young top-order batter. And ended with one of the Bangladesh Premier League’s (BPL) most wanted figures finally cornered. 

The sweeping anti-corruption actions announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday stem from a months-long investigation that had been building steadily beneath the surface. At its centre is a man long on the radar of the BCB’s Integrity Unit: Saminur Rahman.

Saminur, now the subject of a formal Exclusion Order, was a key figure connected to Chattogram Royals, an outfit originally owned by Triangle Group before the BCB intervened citing integrity concerns. He is understood to have been the principal force behind the issues that triggered that intervention, with the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) working quietly to assemble a case against him across the ninth, 10th and 11th editions of the BPL.

The breakthrough came last December in Sylhet, on the eve of the 12th edition. A Royals top-order batter was approached by Saminur with a corrupt proposal — to score runs at a markedly slower strike rate than his natural tempo, a subtle but effective way to manipulate match conditions without drawing immediate suspicion.

Instead of complying, the player recorded the exchange and sent the audio directly to the ACU.

The response was immediate. 

The ACU issued an internal tournament-wide alert, circulated Saminur’s photograph among players and officials, and warned all participants to avoid any contact with him — an unusually explicit measure that underscored the seriousness of the threat he was believed to pose.

The Exclusion Order cites alleged betting-linked activities, corrupt approaches to players and agents, and communication with individuals tied to domestic and international betting and fixing networks — conduct the board says spans several editions of the country’s premier T20 league.

But Saminur’s case is only one strand in what investigators believe is a wider web. 

Among those charged is Md Towhidul Haque Towhid, co-owner of Noakhali Express, whose alleged involvement stretches beyond the BPL. Towhid is believed to have links to betting and fixing activity across T20 events in both Dhaka and Chattogram.

He faces charges under Articles 2.4.6 and 2.4.7 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for failing to cooperate with investigators and allegedly concealing or deleting communications — actions that suggest deliberate attempts to obstruct the inquiry.

With four individuals charged and one exclusion order issued, the BCB has drawn one of its strongest lines yet. But perhaps most alarming is what lies outside Bangladesh: sources indicate that Saminur’s alleged network may also extend into the Pakistan Super League, raising uncomfortable questions about the true reach of regional T20 corruption.