The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) has warned it will boycott all forms of cricket if BCB director M Nazmul Islam does not resign before Thursday’s match.
The announcement was made by CWAB president Mohammad Mithun during a Zoom meeting at 9:30 pm on Wednesday night. CWAB is the official welfare body representing Bangladesh’s cricketers.
The strong stance follows controversial remarks by Nazmul, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s director and finance committee chairman, regarding whether players would be compensated if Bangladesh do not take part in the ICC T20 World Cup in India due to security concerns.
Speaking earlier on Wednesday evening outside the media plaza at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Nazmul dismissed the idea of compensation.
“Why should we?” he said. “If they go and do nothing, play badly, after we have spent so many crores on them, do we ever ask them to return that money? Answer that first.”
The comments sparked widespread criticism and heightened tensions between players and the board, prompting CWAB to convene an emergency meeting. Following that discussion, Mithun confirmed that a full boycott would follow if Nazmul remains in his position.
The controversy comes at a sensitive time, with Bangladesh’s participation in the ICC T20 World Cup still uncertain. The BCB have sent two letters to the ICC requesting that Bangladesh’s matches be moved out of India. A virtual meeting between the ICC and the BCB on Tuesday failed to resolve the issue.
Nazmul later stated that while players could suffer financial losses, the board would not. “The Bangladesh Cricket Board will not be affected, but the cricketers will be,” he said, adding that ICC match fees and awards are paid directly to players and are not controlled by the board.
In response to the backlash, the BCB issued an official statement reiterating its full support for cricketers. The board expressed regret over remarks deemed inappropriate or offensive and stressed that comments by individual directors do not represent official BCB policy unless issued through authorised channels.
The BCB also reaffirmed that players’ welfare, dignity, and interests remain a top priority and warned that any conduct harming the reputation of Bangladesh cricket would face disciplinary action.
For now, CWAB’s ultimatum has raised the prospect of an unprecedented players’ boycott, placing fresh pressure on the board ahead of the match.
