Former U-19 Cricketer Shreevats Goswami Alleges Match-Fixing in CAB League Match
Batsmen Appearing to Deliberately Get Out, Raising Concerns about Fair Play
Shreevats Goswami, a wicketkeeper-batsman who was part of the 2008 Under-19 World Cup winning side, said on Thursday that some dismissals in a match in the Cricket Association of Bengal's (CAB) first division league seemed to be manipulated.
On his Facebook page, Goswami posted footage of a match between Town Club and Mohammedan Sporting.
He said that the hitters for Mohammedan Sporting seemed to be deliberately going out in order to provide Town Club, who are connected to the current CAB secretary and former Team India manager Debabrata Das, seven points. During the 2022 England trip, Das served as the administrative manager for the Indian squad.
"This is a Super Division match in Kolkata Club Cricket, two big teams doing this, any idea what's going on here??" Goswami shared a post.
A right-handed batsman can be seen in the first video walking off the field after leaving the ball and it comes straight to his stumps.
A left-hander was stumped in the second video after coming out of the crease with a wide delivery.
Debabrata Das was unavailable for comment, however CAB president Snehasish Ganguly said that they had requested the report from the umpires and observers.
Snehasish Ganguly said, "We have scheduled a meeting of the tournament committee for March 2 to discuss the matter."
Goswami, 34, described the encounter as an instance of "got up" cricket, which is slang for crooked games.
"Having played the game, which is very dear to my heart, I am embarrassed to witness this. I like playing cricket in Bengaluru and I love the game, but seeing at this makes me sad.
"Please don't damage club cricket; it is the lifeblood and heart of Bengali cricket. This is termed, I believe, 'got up' cricket. The media is now where? Goswami continued. Goswami was an IPL player for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Town Club finished the three-day competition at the 22 Yards Academy in Salt Lake on Wednesday with seven points.
Town Club was led by Shakib Habib Gandhi's 223 to 446.
Mohammaden Sporting, in response, scored 281/9, with Joyjit Basu leading the way with a 100. Following Basu's departure, Sporting fell apart.
