Shahid Afridi has bought Mushfiqur Rahim's auctioned bat ©Getty Images

Pakistan's former cricket captain Shahid Afridi bought the bat of Bangladesh player Mushfiqur Rahim in a COVID-19 charity auction, after a series of fake bids disrupted the sale of the item.

Rahim had donated the bat he used to score Bangladesh's first test double hundred in 2013 in a match against Sri Lanka.

However, organisers called off the auction when fake offers sent the price up to more than $50,000 (£41,000/€46,000).

"Afridi contacted me personally and I sent him a link of the bid," Rahim said. 

"He sent me a letter and offered $20,000 (£16,400/€18,300). 

"He bought my bat with this money, I am really privileged."

Mushfiqur Rahim's bat sold for $20,000 ©Getty Images
Mushfiqur Rahim's bat sold for $20,000 ©Getty Images

Rahim's management firm said the proceeds would go to a development charity and assist with helping those suffering from COVID-19.

"We are faced with tough times and the need to help the poor is more in these times," Afridi said. 

Rahim became the second Bangladeshi cricketer to auction off a bat, following all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.

Al Hasan is currently banned from the sport for two years for failing to report that he had been approached by bookmakers before a 2018 Indian Premier League match.

His bat, which he used at last year's World Cup, fetched nearly $24,000 (£19,700/€22,000).