Bangladesh’s national cricket team have declined a bonus offered by the Bangladesh Cricket Board following their historic Test series whitewash of Pakistan at home, instead requesting that the money be used to improve facilities at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, including the construction of a long-awaited swimming pool.
The BCB had been prepared to reward the players financially after their 2-0 series victory, a result that lifted Bangladesh to seventh in the ICC Test rankings for the first time in their history. However, the players collectively chose to forgo the cash payment in favour of a facility upgrade that would benefit not only the senior squad but also the next generation of cricketers coming through the system.
BCB Ad Hoc Committee chairman Tamim Iqbal praised the gesture on Thursday 21 May, telling reporters, “We were ready and would certainly have given the bonus, because they deserved it. But everyone should appreciate this initiative from the players. They did not think only of themselves. The facility, the swimming pool, will also be used by their younger brothers, those in the Under-19 set-up and the High Performance programme.”
Interestingly, a swimming pool had been included in the original architectural plans for Shere Bangla Stadium but was never built. A subsequent attempt to construct one was made during former BCB president Faruque Ahmed’s tenure, though that initiative stalled before it could be completed as leadership at the board changed.
Tamim confirmed that the BCB intends to build the swimming pool to the highest modern standard. He also revealed that a section of the existing gymnasium at Shere Bangla Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt as part of the broader refurbishment of the facility.
