Bangladesh police have charged national cricketer Shahadat Hossain with assaulting an 11-year-old girl he employed illegally as a maid. Police said Hossain, who has played 38 Tests for Bangladesh, and his wife Nritto Shahadat were formally charged on Tuesday with assault and torture. "The allegations against Shahadat and his wife were proved in our primary investigations," police Inspector Shafiqur Rahman told AFP.
The 29-year-old cricketer, who denies any wrongdoing, was suspended from all forms of the game on September 13 over the allegations. He and his wife went into hiding after police raided their house in September following a complaint from the young girl. Police said one of her hands had been burnt with a hot cooking paddle, while other injury marks were also found on her body. Television footage showed her looking frail and thin with swollen black eyes.
Hossain, who has also played 51 one-day internationals for Bangladesh, handed himself in to police in October after his wife was arrested. On Wednesday he told AFP the allegations were "false" and had ruined his career. "I am innocent. Everyone who knows me will testify to that," he said, in his first interview since his arrest in October.
Hossain said the allegations were part of a conspiracy to destroy his career. "A man's dignity relies on his professional career. It seems to me that mine is being ruined," he said. Hossain and his wife face up to 14 years in jail if they are convicted.