Bangladesh cricket crisis: BPL in danger as players demand public apology from BCB chief for return | Cricket News

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NEW DELHI: The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) on Thursday said players are ready to return to cricket if Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Najmul Islam tenders a public apology and the process related to his removal from the board leadership moves forward.“We have informed the BCB that if he publicly apologizes and the process regarding his tenure as administrator continues, we will be ready to return to cricket from Friday,” the CWAB said in a statement.

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The players also said they had revised their earlier decision to boycott all forms of cricket, citing wider concerns about the game in the country.“We are continuing discussions among ourselves regarding the ongoing complications in Bangladesh cricket. Through our discussions, we cricketers realized that our women’s national team is currently participating in the World Cup qualifiers in Nepal, the men’s national team has the T20 World Cup ahead of them and the men’s under-19 team is currently participating in the World Cup. The impact of the suspension of all forms of cricket could affect all of these teams,” the CWAB said.“We also consider the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to be extremely important. Therefore, in the greater interest of cricket, we have reconsidered our earlier decision,” the statement added.The development came hours after the BCB removed Najmul from his role as chairman of the board’s finance committee. However, he continues to exercise his functions as a director of the board of directors, a position which can only be removed by disciplinary measures.“…Following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organization, the President of the BCB has decided to release Mr. Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as Chairman of the Finance Committee with immediate effect,” the BCB said in a statement.“Until further notice, the BCB President will assume the role of Acting Chairman of the Finance Committee. The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority.”The board also called on players to continue participating in the BPL.“BCB hopes that all cricketers continue to demonstrate the highest standards of professionalism and dedication for the betterment of cricket in Bangladesh during this difficult period for the game…and will make every effort to ensure continued participation in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).The dispute began after Najmul reiterated Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup due to what he described as “security concerns”, and dismissed concerns over player payments if the team pulled out of the event.He said the players would not be compensated, saying they had not earned that support after failing to win an ICC tournament. The remarks sparked strong backlash, with CWAB demanding his resignation from the board.Bangladesh have refused to travel to India following pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the IPL, a decision taken on the instructions of the BCCI amid unspecified “surrounding developments”.The BCB remains in discussions with the ICC after the governing body showed reluctance to move Bangladesh’s four matches in India to Sri Lanka.Najmul had previously drawn criticism after calling former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal an “agent of India”, following Tamim’s call for restraint in handling the situation, warning that current decisions could have long-term consequences. The CWAB condemned these comments.