Pakistan's Rana Naved denies BPL match-fixing

Pakistani fast bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has denied his involvement in match-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Rana's name figured in the match-fixing investigations after police in Bangladesh arrested a Pakistani, Sajid Khan, on suspicion of spot-fixing during a BPL match. Rana and Khan have been photographed together in the past.

Khan allegedly was making several phone calls from the stands during a crucial BPL match. A court in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka has remanded him to custody.

The 34-year-old Rana said he doesn't know Khan personally.

"The authorities in Bangladesh showed me a picture of the man they had arrested. I informed them that I had met him at a domestic match in Karachi last year. That day, after the domestic match he had approached me along with many other individuals as a fan. I have never seen him since then. I have provided the Bangladeshi authorities with the information they needed from me. I have no idea how he obtained my email address," Pakpassion.net quoted Rana as saying.

Rana, a member of the champion team Dhaka Gladiators, hoped the tournament would become a major part of the international calendar.

"The BPL was good. There were players from all over the world and considering this was the first such tournament in Bangladesh, the organisers and everyone involved in the tournament should be very pleased. I feel that the BPL could become an integral part of the international cricketing calendar in the years to come," he said.