CAPE TOWN: Having suffered their second defeat in the ongoing 2023 Women's T20 World Cup late on Tuesday, Bangladesh have now been rocked by an alleged spot-fixing approach off the field.
30-year-old Lata Mondal, who scored a 13-ball 11 against Sri Lanka in their opening game of the tournament, has been allegedly approached by Shohley Akhter, a senior cricketer, who is not with the team in South Africa offering a spot-fixing proposal.
The audio recording of the conversations between the two cricketers was aired on Bangladesh channel Jamuna TV, in which, Lata was reportedly offered money to do spot-fixing during the global event.
In the audio, Shohley could be heard saying Lata could take part in the fixing whenever she likes and that she would be offered money to get stumped or hit-wicket. However, Lata refuses the offer immediately, asking not to involve her in such things.
Lata, who was left out of the match against Australia on Tuesday, had reported the incident to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the team management earlier that day.
While the BCB, it has been learnt, has reportedly handed over the issue to the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit which will carry forward the investigation of the allegations. One will have to wait and see what action, if any, would be taken by the ICC at the World Cup.
On the field, Bangladesh suffered an eight-wicket defeat against Australia at Gqeberha on Tuesday. Skipper Nigar Sultana became the first Bangladesh player to score a half-century in the Women's T20 World Cup, taking her team to 107/7, but it was not enough against a strong Australian side. Bangladesh will next play New Zealand on Friday in Cape Town.