Even though it was a holiday in Bangladesh on Friday, things were anything but calm at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) offices in Mirpur.  Star cricketers started showing up one by one before Jummah prayers. Soon after, high-level BCB officials joined them.  What looked like a normal day off turned into a day when tensions rose among cricket fans.

Three main problems are causing the unrest. The first is the controversial suspension of Towhid Hridoy, who is captain of Mohammedan Sporting Club in the current Dhaka Premier League (DPL) in the absence of Tamim Iqbal.  After a long meeting behind closed doors with the BCB, Tamim spoke for the players at a press conference. He was clearly unhappy with how the board was treating disciplinary actions, which were not always consistent.

Towhid Hridoy was originally banned for two games because he was bad-behaved and got into a verbal fight with the ICC Elite Panel umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat during a DPL match against Abahani.  Surprisingly, and without the right to do so, the BCB's umpiring committee cut the ban down to one match.  Because of this questionable decision, umpire Saikat threatened to quit, but he later changed his mind after the committee apologised.

But things got really crazy after Hridoy played two games while he was suspended.  Then, out of the blue, the BCB reinstated the suspension. Tamim questioned the logic, “He already played two games. The suspension was served, whether we agreed or not. Then suddenly we hear he’s banned again? That’s ridiculous. What kind of rule is that?”

Tamim also criticized the BCB for staging a dramatized reenactment involving two players allegedly involved in match-fixing during a game between Shinepukur and Gulshan Tigers. “We are all in favor of strict punishment if someone is guilty. But no anti-corruption unit in the world humiliates players by making them act out a suspicious event in front of the media. That was disgraceful.”

The third and final point of concern was the leak of names and photos of 10 players reportedly under investigation for fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). “What if 8 of those 10 are innocent? Their reputations are already damaged. This is not how you treat players,” said Tamim.

Tamim ended by calling for swift and fair resolutions from the BCB, “Cricketers are the biggest stakeholders in Bangladesh cricket. You can't treat them like this. We requested the Board President to join the meeting, and thankfully he came. We hope they’ll act fast and communicate clearly—because we play tomorrow.”