Reports: Dhaka club leaders threaten boycott over proposed reforms in BCB rules

Cricket clubs in Dhaka have made it clear that they are against the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) planned constitutional modifications. Under the umbrella of the Dhaka Cricket Club Organisers’ Association, the clubs have threatened to leave all cricket leagues in Dhaka if their demands are not fulfilled.

A five-person reform committee has been established by the BCB to update its constitution. The recommendations included a major reduction in Category-2 councillors, a dissolution of the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), and a reduction in the number of Dhaka-based directors from twelve to four. The clubs claim that these modifications lessen their ability to foster cricket’s growth throughout the nation.

In addition to the nine clubs that were not present, representatives from 67 of the 76 clubs that are part of CCDM convened to share their issues and express support for the movement. Club organisers have expressed their ire at the planned revisions, which they believe are an intentional attempt to lessen the power of Dhaka clubs in the BCB.

Rafiqul Islam Babu, the movement’s veteran organiser, blasted the proposed changes, calling them an insult to the clubs’ historical contributions to Bangladeshi cricket’s development.

“The action taken is, first and foremost, an insult to all of our clubs. The matter is resolved. A committee may occasionally have a director system, which consists of a secretary, president, and vice president. However, this proposed constitution insults the amount of people, particularly the work our clubs have done to build cricket, the Dhaka League, and player production since independence. Board directors were cut from twelve to four, while councillors were cut from seventy-six to thirty. This is just not acceptable. Should they fail to offer a convincing response, our teams will not play until issue is fixed.”

Increase the number of Dhaka clubs’ representatives, please: Rafiqul Islam Babu

The exclusion of the CCDM, which has been essential in overseeing the Dhaka cricket competitions, has sparked the most uproar over the reforms. Babu suggested expanding the number of representatives from Dhaka clubs to 15, and he stressed the importance of judging directors from other districts according to their cricket skills.

“Everything is in controversy because of what he did. There is no need for him to stay on the board if our clubs disagree with his choices. It makes sense to require this. On the basis of that, we suggest increasing the number of Dhaka club representatives to 15,” he continued.

Lutfur Rahman, another well-known organiser, threatened to boycott cricket leagues indefinitely if their demands were not met by January 17.

“We have three days to provide them. Our movement will be stopped if this process stops. We will go on with our movement until then,” Badal stated.