BCB vice-president Faruque Ahmed salutes Tamim Iqbal and all those who chose cricket over conflict.
The clash between many Dhaka clubs and the Bangladesh Cricket Board began after the last BCB election. The tension grew. Some clubs decided to boycott the First Division Cricket League. Tamim Iqbal first supported them.
But a boycott hurts players most. Many players depend on these matches to earn. If cricket stops, the damage hits them and the country’s cricket. Tamim understood this. He stepped back. His club Old DOHS also completed registration.
Forty-five clubs called the new BCB board illegal. Eight First Division clubs did not register players. The league date moved from 18 November to 11 December. CCDM now says the league will start on 14 December.
In Mirpur, Faruque Ahmed spoke at a press conference with CCDM chairman Adnan Rahman Dipon. Faruque read a written statement. Then they answered questions.
Faruque Ahmed said, “It is clearly written here (showing the paper) we have saluted Tamim. We welcomed him. We welcome him again. (At the start with the rebels) Tamim was also there. Tamim has understood that not playing cricket would cause the biggest damage to Bangladesh cricket and to the players.”
He asked the clubs to think again. He reminded them of their long history in the game. He said they may protest, but cricket must continue.
Faruque added, “If club cricket does not take place, the tournament will still go on. The board will find some way to keep the boys on the field. The board will think about what to do if the matches do not happen. We must bring cricket back to the field. Then there will be Victory Day Cricket or other formats so that players can play. The board is thinking about them. Right now, the board is focused on starting the matches. After that, it will think about what to do regarding those clubs.”
He warned that stopping cricket will hurt players the most.
CCDM chairman Adnan Rahman Dipon also spoke. He said, “Our First Division League was supposed to start from the 11th (11 December). Because of some issues with the grounds, we are starting it from the 14th (14 December). We will release the schedule today. We are trying to hold the opening match at the Mirpur Stadium. This is our current position.”
Dipon added, “We will officially keep all 20 teams. Because we are getting only verbal messages (about the boycott), we will release the schedule including all 20 teams.”
BCB and CCDM now plan to start the league on 14 December and keep cricket going.
