The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) anti-corruption unit has reportedly cleared a match in the country’s first-class cricket division of match-fixing allegations. According to ESPNCricinfo, the unit had failed to find tangible evidence of match-fixing in the National Cricket League (NCL) match between Rangpur Division and Dhaka Metropolis, which was being probed by a special committee following a complaint on 19 March by Khulna officials to the BCB tournament committee.

In May, ESPNCricinfo reported that the BCB had formed a special committee to investigate alleged match-fixing claims during the final round of the 2014/15 NCL. Leading into the match between Rangpur and Dhaka, those two sides plus a third side, Khulna, were all equal on points in the league table. Following a comprehensive win inside just three days (first-class cricket matches have four days to be completed) by Khulna over another side in the league, Chittagong, Rangpur needed to bowl out Dhaka Metropolis on the fourth and final day of their match to gain enough points to win the title.

Rangpur, after setting Dhaka 361 runs to win, bowled out Dhaka Metropolis in the final moments of the last day’s play. The last-gasp win meant that Rangpur moved to 121 points to pip Khulna by just one point to the NCL title, Rangpur’s first since the league’s inauguration in 1999.

During the match between Rangpur and Dhaka, Khulna captain and Bangladesh international cricketer Abdur Razzack allegedly posted a status – now deleted – on Facebook asserting match-fixing in the NCL without specifying a team or a player. Following the complaint by Khulna match-officials to the BCB tournament committee about the Rangpur – Dhaka match, a recorded conversation between a Khulna official and a Dhaka Metropolis coach was reportedly submitted.

ESPNCricinfo reported that the NCL’s tournament committee chairman, Akram Khan, had told the news outlet that the ‘BCB’s anti-corruption unit couldn’t ascertain match-fixing in the Dhaka Metro-Rangpur match.’ He reportedly said that he had been told of this development verbally and would be issuing formal letters to this effect in the enxt coupld of days. Akram is reported to have further said that the contents of the audio clip submitted to the committee couldn’t be connected to the match in question.

‘The audio clip couldn’t really prove anything linked to the match. The match referee’s report also didn’t mention anything suspicious,’ he is reported to have said. ‘I shouldn’t make a comment about the investigation’s outcome. I am pleased that we can put this issue to bed now that another National Cricket League is ahead of us.’

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has been contacted for confirmation of this story and comment. They are yet to respond to the Sports Integrity Initiative.