BCB director Najmul yet to resign as cricketers stand firm on boycott

Twelve hours have passed since the cricketers’ ultimatum, but Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Md Najmul Islam has not resigned.

He made controversial remarks about the cricketers on Wednesday. Following that, the players gave him a deadline to resign by 1:00 pm today, before the start of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match.

Enquiries reveal that the players are determined to halt all matches if Najmul does not step down.

The players of the match between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, scheduled to be held this afternoon, has not reached the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium yet.

Although several BCB directors have made contact, the cricketers remain unconvinced. Sources say the board offered to relieve him of his responsibilities in the finance department.

At 11:30 am, the BCB issued a press release stating that Najmul has been served a show-cause notice and must submit a written response within 48 hours. However, the players remain adamant that he resign from his position as director.

Players leading the cricketers’ association Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) are scheduled to hold a press conference on the field shortly. Meanwhile, the first division league was also suspended late last night following the players’ ultimatum.

After the BCB’s prayer and milad ceremony yesterday in memory of the late three-time prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Najmul made controversial remarks about the players.

Asked whether the BCB would cover the financial losses if players did not participate in the T20 World Cup, he said, “If they go and can’t do anything, are we supposed to recover the millions of taka we are spending on them?”

He also remarked in response to another question, “We are spending so much on them, yet they can’t accomplish anything in different places. Have we received a single global award to date? How much have we really achieved anywhere? Then every time we could say, you didn’t perform, so we’ll start recovering the money we spent on you—give it back.”