Bangladesh cricket plunged deeper into crisis yesterday as the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh demanded the immediate resignation of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director and Finance Committee chairman M Najmul Islam, threatening a complete boycott of all matches from today if he fails to step down.
At an emergency online press conference, the association’s president Mohammad Mithun issued an ultimatum, saying all cricket activities-including the Bangladesh Premier League would be suspended if Najmul did not resign before 1:00 pm, ahead of the BPL match between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express in Dhaka.
The confrontation was triggered by Najmul’s widely condemned remarks suggesting that players were not entitled to compensation if Bangladesh skipped the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and that the board could justifiably demand refunds from cricketers for poor international performances. Mithun has said that the remark has hurt the cricket fraternity greatly and is completely unacceptable and they are demanding not only Najmul’s resignation but also a public apology and decisive action from BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul.
The BCB moved quickly to distance itself from the controversy, issuing a statement expressing sincere regret over remarks deemed inappropriate, offensive, or hurtful, and stressed that Najmul’s comments did not reflect the board’s official position. The board claimed the statements were made in a personal capacity and warned of possible disciplinary action, though it stopped short of announcing any concrete measures.
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