A court in Bangladesh granted bail to national cricketer Rubel Hossain Sunday in a rape case filed by a 19-year-old actress, clearing the way for him to play in next month's World Cup. A Dhaka magistrate gave the order, meaning the 24-year-old cricketer can be freed later Sunday or early Monday and join a practice session with the rest of Bangladesh's World Cup squad.
"The court has granted him bail until the end of the World Cup," Hossain's lawyer Moniruzzaman Asad told AFP, adding the order was granted in view of "national interest" since he has been a key player in the team.
The fast bowler was remanded in custody on Thursday in the latest twist to a sensational case over allegations that he raped Bengali actress Naznin Akter Happy.
Police last month launched a probe after Happy lodged a complaint that Hossain had backed away from an earlier pledge to marry her after a months-long "intimate affair".
The remand had placed a huge question mark over Hossain's appearance in the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, beginning in the middle of next month, after selectors picked him in the 15-man squad.
Authorities had even lined up a replacement for Hossain with Bangladeshi courts rarely granting bail in rape cases until formal charges are filed. But after Sunday's ruling, cricket chiefs heaved a sigh of relief.
"His tension is now over. He can join the practice with the World Cup squad from tomorrow," Akram Khan, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) head of operations, told reporters.
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