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Bangladesh rejects match-fixing claims

Bangladesh has rejected claims by former Pakistani skipper Salim Malik that the upset victory of Bangladesh over Pakistan in last year's World Cup was a result of match-fixing.

"We cannot accept his accusation because to us he is nobody," Saber Hossain Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, told the Daily Star newspaper.

He added: "Had (the) Pakistan Cricket Board made the claim we would have reacted. I don't believe that the Bangladesh team was involved in any match-fixing."

Chowdhury refused to comment further on Malik's claims, and said he has requested the International Cricket Council chief executive David Richards to check the facts in London.

"I have asked Richards to convene an emergency meeting within the next 24 hours if Malik's statement is true," he said.

Malik reportedly told undercover reporters from the British tabloid News of the World that the Bangladesh-Pakistan match was fixed and also claimed he could fix the result of any match. Malik's claim has become a major talking point in Dhaka with fans refusing to believe that the World Cup victory over Pakistan, which prompted jubilant nationwide celebrations here, was fixed.

Bangladesh's players are currently warming up for the 10-day Asia Cup from May 28, where they will face Pakistan again, as well as India and Sri Lanka.

Tickets for the tournament go on sale on Wednesday with organisers expecting a sellout.