Bangladesh cricketer Shohely Akhter has been banned for five years after being found guilty of attempting to fix matches during the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup. She is the first female player to receive a corruption ban from the International Cricket Council.
Shohely, a 36-year-old off-spinner, admitted to violating five provisions of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. She played two ODIs and 13 T20Is for Bangladesh but was not part of the squad for the tournament in South Africa.
The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit uncovered Shohely’s involvement through Facebook Messenger conversations. She approached a teammate before Bangladesh’s match against Australia on February 14, 2023, offering 2 million Bangladeshi Taka to get out hit wicket. She claimed the money would come from her cousin, who was involved in illegal betting.
Shohely urged her teammate to delete their messages and keep the conversation secret. The player refused and immediately reported the incident to the ACU, providing voice notes as evidence. Shohely had deleted the messages on her end but later admitted to breaching ICC anti-corruption rules.
Shohely was found guilty of breaching Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.4.4, and 2.4.7 of the ICC Code. Her five-year ban takes effect from February 10, 2025.
