Bangladesh cricketers expected to go on strike over BCB's decisions

Top cricketers of Bangladesh have called for a hastily-arranged press conference on Monday. A decision has been taken to voice their concerns over the growing discontent among cricketers over how cricket is being run in the country. All top cricketers in the country are expected to be present at the press conference.

The two main concerns that seem to be the trigger points are the Bangladesh board's decision to remove the franchise-based model from the Bangladesh Premier League and their reluctance to increase the match-fees of players in the domestic circuit. The domestic cricketers are being affected the most as the player fees for them are at an all-time low.

Earlier, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan expressed his concerns over the new rules that were introduced for the Bangladesh Premier League and stated that cricketers were being suppressed in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board brought out a mandate of having a compulsory leg-spinner as well as a 140kmph+ bowler on each side in order to strengthen the national side. Speaking to the Bengal Daily Samakal on Saturday, Shakib stated,

"For so many years we couldn't select a legspinner for the senior team, but suddenly we made plans to include seven legspinners in the BPL...The BPL is an international-standard competitive tournament where you will face scenarios that you are likely to face in international cricket. You share the dressing room with overseas cricketers. It is not the place to make a player."

"I always get a feeling that cricketers in our country are being suppressed. This is not right. Everyone should have equal opportunity. A player should be left to earn what he feels he deserves. If the team doesn't want to take the player at that payment, the player will deal with it. But to stop him from [freely naming his price] is not right"

Bangladesh v India - ICC Cricket World Cup 2019

Shakib put forth the example of Andrew Strauss running English cricket successfully over a period of time and how the expertise of former cricketers was vital in improving Bangladesh’s domestic and International structure. Shakib also pointed out that focussing on the upcoming series was the primary agenda of the board rather than having a long-term goal for improvement. Speaking to the Dhaka-based Daily Star, Shakib said,

"There are points about requirements. It will be good when someone takes these factors into account while planning. For instance, England has [chair of the ECB's cricket committee] Andrew Strauss, who plans everything. The planning of the last four years is all his. We need someone like that who can plan only regarding cricket, someone with foresight."

“Actually, we only focus on whatever series we have going on. But if it's something like a World Cup, then maybe we plan six to eight months in advance. Otherwise, we only focus on the ongoing series. It's a cultural thing. People expect that we will win all the matches. We plant a tree and crave the fruits the very next day. This is why it's difficult to plan long-term."

Bangladesh tour of India starts on 3rd November 2019. The visiting team is scheduled to play three T20Is, starting from November 3 before the two Tests that begin on November 14. The two Test matches will mark the beginning of Bangladesh’s campaign in the ICC World Test Championship.

The preparation camp for the India tour is scheduled for 25th October under their new bowling consultant Daniel Vettori and limited-overs bowling coach Neil McKenzie.

Also see – World Test Championship points table