Give the women cricketers their due timely
It was very encouraging to hear the PM endorse the Bangladesh women's cricket team, because so far the treatment meted out to the T-20 Women's Asia Cup Champions has been shabby at best. Shockingly, that trend has continued even after our women cricketers did the entire nation proud by winning for the country an international cricket competition of any kind. The shoddy treatment was climaxed by the BCB laying on a non-AC bus with broken window panes to boot to travel for practice; the picture appeared on social media. That had an effect because the next day AC coasters were allotted.
The women have shown gradual improvement in Asia Cup since 2008 until 2018, taking 4th and 3rd positions respectively in 2008 and 2014, winning the Cup this year. Given that they have been in international cricket since 2007 only, one can safely predict that with more practice, competition and proper care, the sky only would be the limit. We must get rid of the blatant disparity in the way we treat our men's and women's cricket teams.
These statistics were necessary to jog the memories of the BCB mandarins. Were they aware of the figures, the women cricketers would not have gone without a penny, as we are told, to spend the Eid with. Leave aside the promised prize money, why were they not paid their salaries and the recent match fees without waiting for the PM to hand over the cheques, that too after Eid? We are sure the PM's assurance of personal support for the team will find practical expression.
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