Dhaka: Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman’s central contract was revoked for assaulting a young cricket fan, who taunted him during a match last month.

The 26-year-old was also slapped with a six-month ban from domestic cricket and a fine of two million taka ($24,000) for the incident, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said.

The national contract for Bangladesh players was due to come into effect on January 1, 2018.

The decision came after Rahman was found to have assaulted a young fan, believed to be aged 12, who had taunted him during a first-class National Cricket League match in Rahman’s hometown of Rajshahi on December 21.

During an innings break, the middle-order batsman went behind the sightscreen and beat the boy. He was also under fire for arguing with the match referee when he was called for a hearing.

“We would like to send a strong message to all players on the first day of New Year. No matter how big a player one might be, he must maintain discipline,” Hassan told reporters.

“He (Rahman) was called for a hearing earlier and we also received the report from the match referee. He’ll no longer be a contracted player,” he said.

Rahman, who has played 10 Tests, 46 ODIs and 33 T20Is since his international debut in 2014, has a history of disciplinary problems.

In 2016, the BCB fined him 30 per cent of his contract money in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), when he allegedly took a female guest to his hotel room during the tournament. AFP