Mushfiqur Rahim fined for his rude behaviour towards his teammate in Bangabandhu T20 Cup

Mushfiqur Rahim was subjected to heavy criticism from the veteran players and fans on social media after his aggressive behaviour against young teammate Nasum Ahmed in the ongoing 2020 edition of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup. Now, the cricketer has also been fined 25% of his match fees by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

On December 14, Beximco Dhaka and Fortune Barishal were up against each other in the first eliminator of the T20 league in Dhaka. Though the Dhaka side led by Mushfiqur Rahim managed to trump the opposition in a close encounter by nine runs, Rahim’s violent behaviour became the focal point of discussion in the cricket fraternity.

The infamous episode took place in the 17th over of the second innings when Barishal needed 45 runs off 19 balls with five wickets in hand and Afif Hossain going strong with a half-century to his name. On the last ball of the over, Afif tried to smack a boundary on the delivery by the left-arm pacer Shafiqul Islam. However, the ball touched the edge of the bat and was hanging in the air in the fine-leg region.

BCB adds a demerit point to Mushfiqur Rahim’s disciplinary record

Both the wicketkeeper Rahim and fine-leg fielder Nasum Ahmed ran for the catch and were about to collide. However, Rahim managed to take the catch and there was no collision either. Despite sending the set batsman Afif back to the pavilion, Rahim looked visibly upset over Nasum and had almost hit him in anger for not hearing his call and running to take the catch.

According to Daily Star, though the Dhaka skipper later apologized for his mistake, the BCB fined 25% of his match fees for breach of the BCB Code of Conduct as revealed in a press release from the Bangladesh board on Tuesday. In the press conference, it was stated that Mushfiqur was found guilty of showing an insulting gesture towards Nasum Ahmed during the match, which constitutes to a Level 1 (2.6) offense.

Along with the fine, a demerit point has also been added to Rahim’s disciplinary record and if the player reaches four or more demerit points in the tournament, then he can be banned from participating in the game. No official hearing was required in this case as Mushfiqur accepted the sanction.