Sabbir Rahman Under Investigation For Allegedly Assaulting Spectator

Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman might find himself in hot waters after reportedly assaulting a spectator during a first-class match in Rajshahi last week. According to reports, the incident took place on the second day of Rajshahi Division’s National Cricket League game against Dhaka Metropolis.

Local media reported that the incident took place after one of the spectators made a noise directed at the batsman during one of the innings breaks. Following that, Sabbir took permission from the on-field umpires to leave the ground and then went behind the sight screen to physically abuse the young boy, who had apparently been brought into the playing area by the batsman’s friend.

The incident was soon reported to the match referee by the reserve umpire who was the first to witness it. The referee then reported the incident to Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan. From there, the case was forwarded to the board’s disciplinary committee. Reports further claimed that the batsman was also quite “aggressive” with match referee Showkatur Rahman when he called him in on the third day of the game to investigate the incident.

The BCB has launched a probe, under which Sabbir is being investigated for a level-4 offence.

“The moment I get the report, we will call him. But after seeing the report if we feel we don’t need to talk to him, we will quickly mete out the punishment,” Sheikh Sohel, vice-chairman of the disciplinary committee, said as quoted by Prothom Alo newspaper.

Also read: Bangladesh Names 32-man Squad for the Upcoming Home Season

According to ESPNcricinfo, Sohel also insisted that the batsman would be subjected to heavy punishment if found guilty. In the case of level-4 offences, penalties include multiple-match bans in addition to a fine of Tk 5 lakh (US$6,000 approx).

Meanwhile, this is not the first time, Sabbir has found himself in controversy. The 26-year old was fined Tk 12 lakh (US$14,000 approx) by the BCB last year for his off-field conducts during the Bangladesh Premier League.

Also read: Sabbir Rahman Reminds Me Of Virat Kohli: Nathan Lyon

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