BCB decides to launch ‘BCB TV’, the women’s cricketers get a pay rise
Frustrated by the lack of interest from local TV channels to telecast Bangladesh cricket team’s tours overseas, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to open its own TV channel, “BCB TV”.
“We will apply for BCB TV. Inshallah, we will get the approval. We will telecast domestic and international matches,” BCB president Najmul Hassan said during a press conference after a board of directors meeting at the BCB headquarters in Mirpur.
The BCB president said that Bangladeshi TV channels show matches of foreign leagues but are often uninterested to telecast the national teams’ matches.
BCB had earlier taken a decision to open a TV channel when AHM Mustafa Kamal was the board president. However, those plans didn’t see the light of the day.
In the meeting, the directors also decided that they will hike the salary and match fee of women’s cricketers, approved convener committees in five regional cricket associations, increased match fee for the ‘A’ team, decided to purchase land for cricket fields and to issue a call for expression of interest for the construction of the Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium in Purbachal.
Earlier, the women’s cricketers’ salary ranged from Tk 25,000 to Tk 80,000 a month. Now, the salary has been hiked to Tk 50,000 to Tk 100,000 (Tk one lakh).
Although their salaries have been hiked, the women’s cricketers still make much less than their male counterparts, who earn Tk 150,000 (Tk 1 lakh 50 thousand) to nearly Tk 950,000 (Tk 9 lakh 50 thousand) every month.
Currently, 25 female cricketers are contracted under the BCB.
The ‘A’ team will receive Tk 150,000 (Tk 1 lakh 50 thousand) as match fee in four-day matches, which was earlier below Tk 50,000.
The BCB president also confirmed that they have approved convener committees in the Sylhet, Chattogram, Rangpur, Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions. These convener committees will host an election in their respective cricket associations within two years. Before the election, the convener committees will run the regional cricket associations.