FIR lodged against Mashrafe Mortaza over extortion, share manipulation charges

Ex-Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza came under police investigation on Tuesday, October 01, over multiple charges of extortion and manipulation of share transfer. The scrips of the share in question belong to Sylhet Strikers, a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise. Mortaza is now under the scrutiny of Pallabi Police alongside six others against the accusations.

Notably, the FIR allegating Mortaza and others was lodged on Tuesday by Sarowar Golam Chowdhury, former chairperson of the BPL franchise's US subsidiary. The confirmation of the same was made by Adil Hossain, the investigating inspector for the case aforementioned.

Meanwhile, it is also important to note that despite the summons issued, none of the accused have been arrested yet, but the investigation process has begun for now, as reported by The Daily Star, Bangladesh.

Bangladesh whitewashed by India in Kanpur

In other news, the red-ball leg of Bangladesh tour of India came to an end in Kanpur, as the Rohit Sharma-led side completed the Test match before Tea on Day 5 to secure a dominating win under their belt, chasing the 95-run target in just 17.2 overs to go 2-0 up in the series. As a result of this win, India also completed a whitewash against the Bangla Tigers to strengthen their position at the World Test Championship 2023–25 Standings.

Also Read: 2nd Test, Day 5 Highlights: India make light work of Bangladesh on final day to complete series whitewash

Throughout the series, the visiting side looked clueless, as they kept falling prey to supreme display by the Indian bowling attack, led primarily by Jasprit Bumrah and Ravichandran Ashwin, both taking 11 wickets each in the series. Meanwhile, Ashwin was also named the Player of the Series was his absolute brilliance throughout the series, both with the bat and the ball.

Speaking of the latest WTC standings, India are comfortably atop with eight wins in 11 matches, and a points percentage (PCT) of 74.24, and have nearly confirmed their berth for the final at Lord's in June 2025. The race for their opposition, however, is very spiced up, as Australia (second) and Sri Lanka (third) have been in terrific form as well. Sri Lanka also whitewashed New Zealand in a home series to better their chances.

The team that received the most hurting fall is Bangladesh, who slipped to seventh position following the end of the series. They will next play South Africa (fifth) for a two-match series, and will have to be at their absolute best to rise through the ranks of quality teams in the exciting WTC finale spot.