The ongoing feud between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the cricketers ended all speculations on Wednesday (October 23), with the board acknowledging most of the players’ demand. This eventually led to the players calling off the strike.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board said it agreed to most of the players’ demands on Wednesday after they put out an 11-point list on Monday, claiming they wouldn’t play until they were met.
The BCB officials, however, seemed determined to solve the issue as quickly as possible. In the end, they succeeded in doing it. As a result, the match is set to resume from next Saturday with the National Cricket League. While in the preparation camp of the upcoming India series that is scheduled to start from October 25, the national players will participate.
“We have agreed to meet up most of their demands,” Nazmul Hasan said in a joint press conference where Shakib al Hasan was sitting beside him at the board room. “We had earlier decided to cancel the third round of the NCL, but as the players decided to play we have shifted it to next Saturday. The national camp will start from October 25,” he said, ending all the rumors about the upcoming Indian tour scheduled to begin on November 3.
“They had sent 11 demands where BCB had nothing to do with the CWAB related demand while we have decided to agree on the remaining demands apart from the one where it was stated that players will be allowed to play in more than two franchise-based tournaments,” he said. “I don’t think there are many players who are offered more than two franchise-based tournaments and we will make the decision regarding participation of them in the franchise-based cricket on a case-to-case basis,” he added.
The National Cricket League (NCL) third round, the standard first-class tournament in the state, was pushed back to Saturday for two days.
There were a lot of twists and turns on Wednesday as the Bangladesh cricketers had sent an 11-point demand letter to the BCB through their appointed representative, which included revenue sharing of the board and one of the new demands added to that list included gender parity as male cricketers felt that women cricketers should be treated equally by the board.
“We have sent a letter to the board placing our 13-point demand but that is nothing like a legal notice,” Mustafizur said on Monday at a local hotel where players had gathered to have a talk with each other. “We want gender parity so we want that wherever it is possible our male and female cricketers are treated equally by the board,” he said.
“We want revenue sharing by the board as we believe that Bangladesh will be the second biggest market in Asia in cricket after India and is on its way to being one of the leading ones in the world,” he added.
Shakib said that he is happy that most of their demands are being met. “Today we are happy,” said Shakib. “We can say how satisfied we are when these assurances will be implemented,” he said. Shakib, who led the players in discussion with the board, said he is happy for the time being, but only can express his satisfaction fully if the things are executed properly.
“Till now, I am happy. The board promised to resolve all the matters one by one very soon. I hope they will do it in the quickest possible time,” Shakib said. “We raised those two demands just now and the board needs time to discuss it. I am okay with it for the time being. We are joining the national camp from October 25.”
“After the NCL, we’ll discuss the CWAB. Namur Rahman ensured us that only the current players will be involved with CWAB,” he added.
