Dhaka: Bangladesh Online Activists Forum (BOAF) has arranged a rally Sunday morning at National Press Club in the city protesting the ‘controversial’ decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) against two Bangladeshi bowlers.

The ICC suspended Bangladeshi spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed from bowling in international cricket on Sunday with immediate effect for their illegal bowling actions.

The protest rally, chaired by BOAF founder president Kabir Chowdhury Tonmoy and participated by cricket fans, strongly criticised the ICC for suspending Taskin and Arafat and urged cricket fans to resist the naked politics inside the ICC, especially the conspiracy of Big-3 (India, England and Australia).  

Addressing the rally speakers said the conspiracy against Bangladesh team which was started in the last ICC World Cup quarterfinal against in India in Melbourne with the controversial decision by the match umpires is still continuing.

They urged the ICC to withdraw their controversial decisions against Taskin and Sunny and hoped that the ICC will create a healthy atmosphere in the world cricket for the sake of cricket fans.  

The ICC in a media release on Sunday said that their independent assessments have found the bowling actions of Bangladesh’s Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed to be illegal and suspended them from bowling in international cricket.

But, with the consent of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the two bowlers may be able to play in domestic cricket events played in Bangladesh.

Arafat and Taskin were reported after their opening match in the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 against the Netherlands in Dharamsala on Wednesday, March 9.

The independent assessments were performed at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Chennai. Arafat’s bowling action was analysed on March 12, while Taskin’s test was performed on March 15.

These two are not the first Bangladesh bowlers to be suspended for an illegal action. Off-spinner Sohag Gazi was suspended from bowling in October 2014, and he was cleared after a second test in February 2015.

Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak was the first Bangladesh bowler to be suspended in November 2008, before the ban was lifted in March 2009.

Al-Amin Hossain was also reported for a suspect action in 2014, but was cleared after an assessment in Chennai.