IND vs BAN | Bangladesh Cricket Board calls for emergency meeting of directors
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has called an emergency meeting of its directors on Tuesday in response to the strike their players have called for. In a Facebook post, Bangladesh's ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza expressed solidarity with the cricketers but also stated he was not aware of the strike.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has called for an emergency meeting of its directors on Tuesday in response to the strike their players' strike. The board has less than 48 hours to convince the players to call off their strike and play the next round of the first-class National Cricket League matches in four venues across the country. In addition, they will receive just a little more time to convince the players to start training in a prep camp for the tour of India which begins with a T20 International on November 3.
The cricketers put out an 11-point demand in a press conference on Monday, which they said must be fulfilled before they will take part in any cricketing activities. The demands majorly include financial commitments that the board has to make publicly. Apart from the call to bring back Dhaka Premier League's players transfer in the 2019-20 season, even the players understand that the rest of the points can only come into effect from next year.
In a Facebook post, Bangladesh's ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza answered why he was not present with the players and also expressed solidarity with the cricketers.
“I wasn't aware of this movement. Definitely this was in discussion, and they were making preparations. The first I heard about their strike was when I saw their press conference.
"I have always been with cricketers and if I had known about their plan, I would have been with them. I have questioned myself why I wasn't made aware. But it is more important that their 11-point demands are met. All of their demands are fair, and necessary for the betterment of cricket and cricketers. I, Mashrafe Mortaza, am in favour of a peaceful implementation of their 11-point demand."
So far, there are mixed reactions from within the BCB, with some directors accusing the cricketers of "blackmailing" the board by calling for a strike without issuing an ultimatum, while others have said that they understand the players' stance in these difficult circumstances.
Director Jalal Yunus said that he had no idea that the cricketers were upset but instead of going to the media directly, the players should have come to the board with their demands. "We had no idea that the cricketers were so angry, disappointed and upset," Yunus told Bengali daily Samakal. "They could have placed the demands at the board before issuing the ultimatum. However, they went to the media to call off all cricketing activities. This is nothing but blackmailing."
Speaking to the same newspaper, Mahbubul Anam, another influential board director, accused the cricketers of being part of a "wider conspiracy". He beleives they should have followed the process of going up the board’s heirarchy with their demands and the strike should have been called if the demands were not met.
A former Bangladesh skipper, Akram Khan, now a board director in charge of cricket operations, had a peacemaking tone: "These things always start with a movement. Once you sit with the board, it is no longer a movement. The board is there to serve the cricketers' purpose. I hope there will be reconciliation between the players and the board. We will try to solve their issues in the board meeting [on Tuesday]."
The cricketers have also mostly received support from outside the board, including some of the former cricketers. One of them, Salim Shahed, said that he was impressed by how the cricketers didn't bring only their own issues into focus but also “wanted improvement in salaries for groundsmen, coaches, trainers, physios.”
