Controversial remarks about Tamim: CWAB demands apology from BCB director
The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) convened a press conference in Sylhet to protest controversial remarks made by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Najmul Islam about Tamim Iqbal.
The CWAB demanded that Najmul issue a public apology for his comments and be held accountable.
At an event on Thursday, former national team captain Tamim Iqbal shared his views on Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup.
He remarked that Bangladesh receives a substantial amount of funding from the ICC and that, therefore, all aspects should be carefully considered before taking such a decision.
In response to Tamim Iqbal’s remarks, BCB director and chairman of the board’s finance committee, M Najmul Islam, posted a Facebook status referring to Tamim as an “Indian agent”.
CWAB has strongly condemned and protested against this statement.
In a written statement, CWAB president Mohammad Mithun said, “When a responsible board director makes such remarks on a public platform, it raises serious questions about the code of conduct expected of board officials. We’ve already sent a letter of protest to the BCB president, demanding a public apology from the concerned board director and that he be brought under accountability. We hope the BCB president will take appropriate action as soon as possible.”
Speaking at the press conference held after today’s BPL match between Chattogram Royals and Rajshahi Warriors, Rajshahi Warriors and Test team captain Najmul Hossain said, “At the end of the day, a cricketer always expects respect. I feel that making such comments about a player of such stature, who has done so much for Bangladesh, is deeply unfortunate.”
“What hurts the most is that the cricket board is supposed to be our guardian. We expect protection and support from our own people. From that perspective, I would say this is completely unacceptable from a cricketer’s point of view,” he added.
Other teammates of former national team captain Tamim Iqbal have also spoken out in his support. Many cricketers have expressed their views on the issue through posts on social media.
At the CWAB press conference, Mithun was asked why cricketers had not been similarly vocal on Facebook in support of Mustafizur Rahman when he was dropped from the IPL a few days earlier.
Responding to the question, Mithun said, “You may not be aware, but we discussed the matter with Mustafizur. We held meetings with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) regarding him, what could be done for Mustafizur, and what steps could be taken. FICA assured us that if Mustafizur wished, they would provide him with legal advisers.”
Informing the media that FICA had legal advisers around the world, Mithun said, “Through them they could approach the BCCI. While they might not be able to secure the full amount, they would try to arrange compensation to the extent possible.”
However, Mithun explained that the matter did not proceed due to Mustafizur’s own wishes. “Later, when we spoke to Mustafizur again, since it was entirely his personal decision, he told us, ‘Bhai, let it be for now. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.’ That is why we did not take the matter any further.”