The leading cricketers of the country have requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan not to apply the Players’ Draft system in the Dhaka Premier League 2015-16 in March.
25 cricketers from the ongoing national camp including Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe bin Mortaza and Taskin Ahmed visited the BCB chief at his corporate office in Dhaka yesterday and made the request.
“We met the president and he assured us that he will try not to employ the Players’ by Choice in the Premier League this season. You see we all are professional cricketers and at the end of the day we look for a better pay and assurance of playing for a team. We (the cricketers) think that the players draft is not wise for us,” said a member of the Bangladesh national team requesting anonymity to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
The Premier League, played by over 200 cricketers, lost its transfer system charm once the BCB applied the Players’ Draft in the 2013-14 season after majority of the clubs demanded a level playing field, faced with exorbitant salary demands from the players.
Although it lasted for only a season following criticism and dissatisfaction from the players, the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) in a meeting last month relaunched their wish of putting the Players by Choice system back in effect. The decision is, however, yet to get the nod from Nazmul.
The BCB chief explained the advantages of having the Players’ Draft which however was not enough to move the visiting cricketers at his office from their stance.
Nazmul assured of discussing the matter with the CCDM and the club officials, but it is understood that the decision does not solely depend of the BCB boss. The 12 top flight clubs are also unlikely to revert from their decision, thus creating another quandary ahead of the country’s oldest 50-over tournament.
“We understand that the clubs will have their say on this but this was the best thing we can do (requesting the BCB president). Let’s hope for the best and see what happens,” another cricketer said requesting anonymity.
