Mehrab Hossain banned for a year

Mehrab Hossain has been banned from playing domestic and international cricket after failing to appear at a Bangladesh Cricket Board hearing, the BCB said on Monday.

The former Bangladesh opener was suspended following a complaint from drug manufacturer Acme Laboratories that he refused to play for its team in the Corporate Cricket League (CCL), despite taking a 15,000 taka ($254.24) advance.

"We have decided to bar him for a year as he failed to appear before the BCB for a hearing on the Acme allegation," a senior BCB official said.

Mehrab, 25, could not be contacted immediately for comment.

Twelve teams, mostly sponsored by Bangladesh-based corporate business houses, are participating in the new league, which starts in Dhaka on Tuesday

Acme, one of the participating teams, filed the complaint after Mehrab had signed with GrameenPhone, the country's largest cell phone provider, to play for their team.

Mehrab has played in nine Tests, with a batting average of 13.38 runs, and 18 One-Day Internationals for Bangladesh. His last Test appearance was against South Africa in Dhaka in May 2003.