Five Months After Strike, BCB Yet To Meet Players' Demands

Published - 01 Apr 2020, 03:25 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:04 AM

Bangladesh (Credits: Twitter)

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In a dramatic U-turn, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to increase the number of contracted national players significantly despite promising to do so last year after players’ revolt. During their unprecedented strike in October, the players had demanded the BCB to include at least 30 players in the national contract and the authorities had also promised to consider the matter.

Accordingly, the selectors had submitted a list of 24 cricketers in January for the approval of the Board but the BCB had sent back the list for some modification. BCB president Nazmul Hasan had admitted it after their January 12 meeting saying that they wanted to bring some new players in the list, though he did not mention any number.

Recently, the BCB published the new list of contracted players, which included 16 cricketers and only seven of them got a full-fledged contract for both red-ball and white-ball.

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BCB — Bangladesh Cricket team (Credits: Twitter)

We settled the matter on verbal commitments: said a cricketer who wished anonymity

The BCB introduced separate red-ball and white-ball contract for the first time this year in order to be more accommodative but turned it rather to a punishing measure for some underperforming players.

“We settled the matter on verbal commitments and on good faith but if they don’t keep their commitments there is nothing we can do actually,” a cricketer told Cricbuzz on the condition of anonymity.

“The BCB told that they accepted all the demands. Then this also should be implemented. BCB can say about it well. Our demand was to increase salaries by 50 per cent. Match fees, various allowances were increased but the salaries of first-class cricketers were not increased,” confirmed a first-class cricketer.

We don’t want to give anything for free: BCB Chairman

BCB can take certainly take this route considering they did not have any written agreement with the players when both parties settled the matter friendly after the promise of improved pay packages among others.

Bangladesh board increased the salary of the centrally contracted cricketers as well as the match fee for first-class cricketers, but at the same time a large section of players, particularly the first-class cricketers, are yet to receive the said raise in the salary.

“We cannot include everyone in the national contact. We don’t want to give anything to anyone for free. Players must work hard for their money,” BCB cricket operation chairman Akram Khan told Cricbuzz, justifying the board’s decision.