‘Players are now hostages’

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), now under the leadership of Aminul Islam Bulbul, has seen changes in its board of directors following the recent election -- but the state of the country's domestic cricket has grown even grimmer.

Payment disputes, match-fixing allegations, and poor facilities had already plagued the domestic scene. Now, adding to those woes is a growing fear among cricketers of being sidelined -- not for lack of talent, but for lack of opportunity.

A fallout from last October's board of directors' election has prompted organisers of 43 out of 76 clubs across four divisions -- the Dhaka Premier League, First Division, Second Division, and Third Division -- to withdraw from the upcoming domestic season.

In the First Division, eight of the 20 participating clubs sent a letter of protest to the BCB CEO. None of them were present on the opening day of the players' draft at the BCB headquarters yesterday. While nine clubs attended, the rest three are expected to show up on the final day today.

A similar situation looms over the franchise-based Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) which has been reduced to just five teams, the fewest in its history.

While the clubs' withdrawal highlights growing friction between the board and organisers, and a deepening crisis in domestic cricket, for players -- the board's biggest stakeholders -- it means fewer opportunities. Many who depend on local leagues for their livelihood now fear being left without a team.

One First Division player, still searching for a side, collected a token from the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) yesterday in hopes of finding a spot -- though competition is fierce, with over a hundred players doing the same.

"Truth be told, I took a token, but we players are now hostages. We weren't prepared for such a situation. Like me, around 200 players have taken tokens, hoping that if an opportunity comes, we might get to play for some team," First Division cricketer Zubair told The Daily Star.

"We aren't even sure which teams are participating, but at the end of the day, it's the players who are suffering," he added.

A BCB source said the eight clubs skipping the players' transfer would have created opportunities for at least 150 First Division players.

"We'll try to increase the number of domestic players in the five teams by adding some clauses. But it is still unfortunate since many capable players may miss out on chances that a seven- or eight-team BPL could have provided," is what BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim had to say about the situation.

As several Premier League teams also show reluctance to join the upcoming season, the plight of domestic cricketers remains uncertain -- and in reality, simply "adding some clause" may not be enough to solve the crisis.