Bangladesh’s players, who threatened to boycott the upcoming India tour by announcing strike on Monday (October 21), will return to the field after BCB officials agreed to fulfill nearly all their demands.
Read More: Bangladesh announce squad for T20I series in India
The cricketers were on strike until their 11-point demands are being met. This brief strike had an immediate impact on the ongoing National Cricket League while the training camp for next month's series in India and the tour itself were under threat.
As per a report in ESPNcricinfo, the impasse between board and players broke close to midnight on Wednesday (October 23). Apparently, both parties had been in discussion for nearly two hours.
The cricketers agreed for the meeting after holding discussions among themselves in a hotel where they added two more demands – the BCB must share a percentage of their revenue with them and it should also ensure equal pay for women cricketers.
"As Papon bhai said, it was a fruitful discussion," Bangladesh Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who led the strike, quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "He and the rest of the directors assured us that our demands will be met as soon as possible. Based on their assurance, we will start playing the NCL and attend the training camp.
"We told them that there should be [CWAB] elections swiftly. We want a representative from the current players, so that our problems can be discussed with the board regularly. It will be the best for the players. They have agreed, and the elections will be held when we are all available. We can tell you that we are happy when the demands are implemented, but discussions have been satisfying."
BCB chief Nazmul Hassan said the board was made aware of the two new demands few hours ago, but it will fulfill the original 11. He also added that the BCB would return to the Dhaka Premier League's player transfers, as well as ensure a franchise model is in place in next season's Bangladesh Premier League, as the players had asked for.
"We thank the players for coming today. They had a number of demands, which I told you yesterday we were mostly agreeable to," Hassan stated. "Among their 11 demands, the first one [CWAB elections] doesn't have anything to do with the BCB and the last demand [more than two NOCs per year to play overseas franchise tournaments] will be taken case to case.
"We have agreed with the rest of the demands, like the DPL transfers and BPL franchise model. We will also significantly improve their allowances in the domestic competitions, and it will be done in the next two or three days. Not in six months or a year. We will also improve infrastructural facilities everywhere, and no longer take it phase by phase. I also heard from many players, and I have asked them to send them their issues in writing in the future."
Hassan revealed that they wanted to cancel NCL's third round matches, slated to be held on October 24, but the players told that it wasn't necessary.
"We wanted to leave out the NCL's third round but the players said that if it is delayed by a day, they will make it to the venues," the BCB chief said. "The national players will join the [pre-tour] camp on October 25, as was earlier planned."
(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)
