DHAKA, Oct 23, 2019 (BSS)-The impasse between the Bangladesh Cricket Board
(BCB) and the country’s professional cricketers further deepened after the
cricketers added two more points to their original 11-point demand.
The latest two demands are the fair share of revenue of BCB’s income and
gender parity.
The cricketers however sent the 13-point demand in written to the BCB,
through their lawyer Barrister Mustafizur Rahman.
However, Rahman cleared that it is not a legal notice from the players
rather the cricketers appointed him as their spokesman and wrote the 13-point
demand in structured way.
Rahman said the fair share of revenue is an important thing for the
cricketers as they fall in an uncertain condition after retiring from
cricket.
“Going forward, there should be transparency and accountability of income
and expenditure and maintenance of accounts in Bangladesh cricket in the
interest of all its stakeholders. Arrangements will have to be made where
professional cricketers are given a fair share of the revenue generated by
BCB through commercial exploitation of cricket and its associated interests,
which, after all, is made possible through the toil and performance of
professional cricketers. A cricketers’ welfare, provident and compensation
fund and insurance scheme has to be established and administered, which will
ensure welfare of cricketers who have fallen on hard times, provide pensions
to retired cricketers and compensation to injured cricketers in fulfillment
of objectivity defined and administered criteria,” he stated in a local hotel
in the city where the cricketers gathered for meeting instead of responding
to sit with BCB.
Rahman also said the cricketers want same provisions for the female
cricketers also since they have been performing nicely to take the country’s
cricket to another height.
“To the extent practical and commercially feasible, similar provisions as
above will have to be made for female cricketers, with the ultimate objective
of attaining gender parity as early as possible,” he added.
“The cricketers believed and have been advised that their demands are
consistent with freedoms and rights guaranteed by the constitution of
Bangladesh to all citizens, including the right to profession and form
associations. The cricketers hope that the BCB will understand and appreciate
the risk that a young cricketer takes when he or she embarks upon a
professional career through sacrificing an academic career, not pursuing
other career alternatives, risking injury and loss of form and, above all,
having a limited and uncertain window of time during which he or she has to
earn a livelihood and secure his or her future after retirement. The
cricketers look forward to the kind and sympathetic consideration by the BCB
of their demands and support of all concerned,” he further said.
This latest announcement came a day after BCB lashed out at the cricketers
and said that they have not put up any demand formally to them and instead
used media as a tool.
The BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon also made it clear that most of the
demands were met while the others are in process to be met. He also indicated
that the board is ready to agree with all their demands.
However, the latest move by the players come as further shock as the BCB
president agreed to fulfill all their demands after his meeting with Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Mustafizur Rahman said that the players will meet the BCB high ups with
their 13-point demand.
“They are now ready to meet the BCB high ups and they can meet even
tonight,” he said.
The situation further worsened as Bangladesh is preparing to visit India
for a full bilateral series for the first time. The series, comprised of
three T20 Internationals and two Test matches, begins on November 3.
The national team is due to begin practice camp for the series on Friday
while the National Cricket League (NCL) is scheduled to start on Thursday.