‘Conspiracy’ behind cricketers' strike: BCB chief

FT ONLINE

Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan Papon has said the strike announced by national cricket players is part of a conspiracy to destabilise Bangladesh cricket.

The BCB chief also slammed the striking players for going on strike without informing the authorities about their demands beforehand.

Nazmul Hassan was addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Tuesday.

The cricketers’ demands are baseless as the BCB is already working to resolve the issues, he said.

Earlier on Monday, the cricketers went on strike on Monday, demanding a pay hike, at a news conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.

Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and other top cricketers were present during the announcement of the strike.

The development comes a month after the BCB decided to abandon the Bangladesh Premier League franchise-based model, resulting in the fall of the income of the cricketers.

Their 11-point demand includes immediate resignations of president and general secretary of Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh, reversing the BCB’s decision to abandon the franchise-based model and lifting the salary cap in the Dhaka Premier League.