Bangladesh women’s cricket stalwarts Nigar Sultana Joty and Rumana Ahmed have voiced their frustration on social media over persistent gender-based inequality in the country’s cricketing structure.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Bangladesh captain Joty highlighted the unequal treatment female cricketers continue to face. “There is a difference between a cricketer and a woman cricketer, my friend,” she wrote, pointing to the systemic bias that sidelines women from important conversations and decisions in the sport.
A key flashpoint appears to be the activities of the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), which has reportedly excluded women cricketers from recent meetings. According to players, none were invited to any of the last three meetings held by the association. With CWAB elections scheduled for 4 September, it remains unclear whether women cricketers are even eligible to vote.
CWAB convenor Salim Shahed has stated that current women national players under Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) contracts will receive permanent membership of the organisation, while others can apply for life membership if they meet CCDM registration criteria.
Adding to their grievances, the players also expressed disappointment at the BCB’s failure to launch the inaugural Women’s Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) this year, despite repeated assurances. The lack of adequate training facilities ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup, set to take place in India next month, has further fuelled their discontent.
Veteran all-rounder Rumana Ahmed echoed these frustrations in a separate post that went beyond the current issues, highlighting years of systemic neglect.
“While cricketing nations around the world are progressing with their women’s teams, we can’t even bring our women cricketers into the conversation. Why this discrimination? We also brought pride to this country too,” she wrote.
Rumana criticised what she described as a cycle of broken promises: “Every year the discussion starts and ends with the same promise: ‘next year’. Even our men’s BPL hasn’t fully flourished. Who is accountable for this lack of progress?”
She also questioned the invisibility of women’s cricket in boardroom discussions: “Recently, there has been much discussion in the board about the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB). While many male cricketers were seen involved, there was not a single female cricketer in sight. So where do we stand?”
Referencing prominent names in men’s cricket, Rumana asked, “If Tamim, Shakib and Mahmudullah are part of every conversation, then why is there no discussion around Salma, Rumana or Jahanara?”
She concluded by calling for equality and respect: “When will we eliminate gender discrimination? When will we create a healthy cricketing culture? After all these years in cricket, is it too much to expect this much basic respect?”