Cricketers state 5 reasons, will not play unless Najmul resigns

The cricketers remain firm in their decision not to play as they presented five reasons for their stance at a press conference held in Banani.

It was stated that the players are ready to return to the field; however, this will only be possible if BCB director M Najmul Islam resigns.

They emphasised that there is no option before them.

At the press conference, five key issues were highlighted. These included the crisis in Dhaka First Division Cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s stance on allegations of sexual harassment involving women cricketers, the demand for the resignation of BCB director M Najmul Islam and issues related to facilities and opportunities in women’s cricket.

Speaking at the press conference, CWAB (Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh) president Mohammad Mithun said, “We will go back to the field on one condition only: if the BCB comes forward with a commitment that within 48 hours this individual will no longer remain with the BCB. If he remains, then the responsibility for suspending play will not lie with the cricketers. This must be officially declared by the BCB.”

The cricketers have stated that if the Board accepts this condition by the afternoon, they will take the field to play the match in the evening.

Following a prayer and milad organised yesterday, Wednesday by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in memory of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia, who served three terms and has since passed away, controversial remarks about the cricketers were made by M Najmul Islam, chairman of the BCB Finance Committee and a board director.

When asked whether the BCB would consider compensating players for any financial losses incurred if they did not participate in the T20 World Cup, Mithun responded, “If they go there and fail to do anything, then are we asking them to return the millions we have spent on them?”

In response to another question, he further remarked, “Despite all the money we spend on them, they go to different places and fail to achieve anything. Have we received a single global award to date? How much have we actually been able to achieve anywhere? Then we could say every time, ‘You could not play properly, so return the money we spent on you.’”

Following these remarks, at a press conference organised via Zoom yesterday, Wednesday Mohammad Mithun, president of the CWAB (Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh), issued an ultimatum demanding Najmul’s resignation.

Mithun stated that if Najmul did not resign before the BPL match scheduled for 1:00 pm, today, Thursday, all forms of cricket would be suspended.

Mithun said, “The way he has commented about all the cricketers is in no way acceptable. If he does not resign before tomorrow, Friday’s match, we will boycott all forms of cricket.”

Later today, Thursday, at around 11:30 am, the BCB announced in a press release that a show-cause notice had been issued to Najmul, asking him to submit a written explanation within 48 hours.

However, sources indicate that the cricketers remain firm in their demand for Najmul’s resignation as a director. Meanwhile, the BPL match scheduled for 1:00 pm today, Thursday did not start.