Officials said Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), the organising body of the league, at an emergency meeting on Saturday held Akram responsible for the unwanted incident which resulted in an assault on Sri Lankan umpire Philip Mendis on Friday (CricInfo365, Jan.16).
Three officials of Abahani, run by Bangladesh Cricket Board president and government's deputy minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, were also banned for one month from the cricket grounds. The punished officials are Shibli Nomani, Shah Alam Chowdhury and Arshad Khan Tara.
Earlier, Abahani in a letter to the CCDM apologised for the incident over ``misunderstanding between umpire Mendis and Akram Khan''. Abahani official Jalal Yunus who represented the local champions in the CCDM meeting also apologised.
Mendis was assaulted by some Abahani officials when Akram, while batting against Biman, came near the pavilion to lodge an allegation with the match referee against a Biman bowler who was blocking him from taking runs as ``he was refused by the umpire to intervene''.
Akram fortunately escaped from punitive measures for his non-cricketing attitude during a match in Commonwealth Games Cricket last year. However, the big man is highly respected in the country for his modesty and gentle behaviour in and out the cricket ground.
Meanwhile, the Premier Division Cricket League has been postponed for 10 days on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest festival for Moslems. The league will resume on January 26.
Following is the positions of the clubs in the league:
Team Match Win Defeat Point Brothers' Union 7 6 1 12 Abahani Limited 8 6 2 12 Bangladesh Biman 8 6 2 12 Mohammedan Sporting Club 7 5 2 10 Suryatarun Club 8 5 3 10 Kalabagan Krira Chakra 7 4 3 8 Agrani Bank 8 4 4 8 Wari Club 8 3 5 6 Victoria Sporting Club 8 3 5 6 Sadharn Bima 8 2 6 4 Orient 7 1 6 2 Ajax 8 1 7 2