Pay hike headlines Tamim’s first move
The 11-member ad hoc committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), led by Tamim Iqbal, on Wednesday announced a significant increase in women cricketers’ domestic match fees, among several key decisions taken at its first official meeting -- held a day after assuming charge following the dissolution of the Aminul Islam Bulbul-led board.
The committee raised women’s match fees across formats, with players now set to receive Tk 10,000 for T20s, Tk 15,000 for one-dayers, and Tk 20,000 for longer formats. Salaries for 30 to 35 contracted women cricketers have also been increased from Tk 30,000 to Tk 40,000 per month.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "What we have approved today may not be ideal, but it is certainly an improvement, considering there are limits to how much can be increased at once. From now on, women cricketers will receive Tk 10,000 for T20 matches, Tk 15,000 for one-day matches, and Tk 20,000 for longer formats (two-day, three-day, or four-day matches), which were previously around Tk 8,000 or so," Tamim said.
"Regarding domestic contracts, around 30 to 35 women cricketers are currently contracted, earning Tk 30,000 per month. This has now been increased to Tk 40,000. However, there was a complication, as the lowest category in the national contract is Tk 60,000. So, we had to maintain a gap between domestic and national contracts, which limited how much we could raise it,"" he added.
Men’s domestic cricketers also received a long-awaited pay boost. Category A salaries have been raised to Tk 65,000 from Tk 35,000, Category B to Tk 50,000 from Tk 30,000, and Category C to Tk 40,000 from Tk 25,000 per month. In addition, match fees for four-day games in the National Cricket League (NCL) and Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) have been increased from Tk 70,000 to Tk 100,000.
"As for the men’s cricketers, there has been almost no increment in the past three to four years. Previously, salaries were Tk 35,000 for Category A, Tk 30,000 for B, and Tk 25,000 for C -- which, in my opinion, is highly underpaid. These players work hard, and cricket exists because of their efforts. At the very least, they deserve fair compensation," Tamim announced.
"We have now approved revised salaries: Category A will receive Tk 65,000, Category B Tk 50,000, and Category C Tk 40,000 per month. This comes into effect from January 1. Although we are already in April and contracts may not have been signed yet, payments will be made accordingly from January."
Additionally, match fees for four-day games in the National Cricket League (NCL) and Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) have been increased from Tk 70,000 to Tk 100,000.
The committee also turned its attention to the stalled Dhaka Premier League, deciding to immediately sit with participating teams to find a quick solution to resume the competition.
Meanwhile, in line with the government’s austerity measures amid the ongoing resource crisis, match timings for Bangladesh’s upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand will be adjusted, with an effort to minimise play under floodlights.
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