Crisis again over cricket

Crisis seems to engulf domestic cricket once again as the BCB has opted to act in favour of the clubs on the issue of players' rebellion for an early inter-club transfer.

The Board, who was playing the role of negotiator to end rift between the cricketers and CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolitan), suddenly came down hard on the submissive players on Sunday by imposing injunction on seven leading cricketers including Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam. The others six cricketers are vice-captain Khaled Mahmud, Minhazul Abedin, Faruque Ahmed, Enamul Hoque, Mohammed Rafique and Mahabubur Rahman.

BCB, in a rather surprise move, formed a two-member committee to probe into the CCDM recommendation for disciplinary action. The organisers of Dhaka cricket earlier bracketed the 'seven' and decided to boycott them from any competition under the banner of CCDM.

Boycott threat however first came from the cricketers. They hurriedly formed Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) and then decided to stay out of any domestic competition unless the bourse commenced sometimes in November. They however gave up the agitation and returned to play once the BCB president Saber Hossain weighed in with the assurance of a solution suitable to all parties.

The irony was that the solution of Saber came after nearly one and half months but in the form of banishment of players, be it on temporary basis.

The probe committee, headed by the Additional DG of Special Branch Nurul Alam, will look into the alleged 'misconduct and objectionable remarks' hurled by the CWAB leaders at top CCDM officials and then submit its report by January 20.

And since then all but the seven cricketers will be allowed to take part in the transfer business, starting on January 17. Until BCB acts on the findings, the players under investigation would be kept out of action.

Once-promising and now-bewildered CWAB however sent a letter to Saber Hossain requesting him to allow the seven players to participate in the transfer, whose token will be on offer on January 6.

And it is learnt that if Saber does not act discretely, the CWAB may fall back to their original stand and resume the second innings of the 'boycott cricket'.