The reduction and then the reinstatement of Towhid Hridoy鈥檚 ban became laughable, said the former national team captain Tamim Iqbal on Friday.聽
He also stated that the players were upset with certain incidents that had happened over the past few months, as they felt insulted.
BCB, however, in a press release issued later, said that the enforcement of the two-match suspension was deferred over a 12-month period. That means Hridoy is now eligible to play Mohammedan鈥檚 next match against the Gazi Group Cricketers today.
The cricketers, including Tamim Iqbal, who was ruled out of the ongoing Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League after suffering a heart attack, gathered at the BCB office premises at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.聽
Faruque Ahmed, the BCB president, along with two other directors, Nazmul Abedin Fahim and Iftekhar Ahmed, came to the BCB office around noon.聽
There was much anticipation around the meeting among the journalists who were waiting for hours for an outcome. Tamim finally came to talk to them around 6:00 pm after the long meeting.聽
Tamim said that the main issue of the meeting was the Hridoy saga that created much controversy in the country鈥檚 cricket fraternity for the last few days.聽
Hridoy, the stand-in captain of Mohammedan in absence of Tamim, was banned for two matches for breaching the code of conduct but returned to the field after serving only one match suspension.聽
As a result, the convenor of the technical committee of the CCDM, Enamul Haque, resigned. The ICC Elite Panel umpire Sharfuddoula Ibn Shahid Saikat also threatened to quit from the BCB job.聽
The BCB then appointed Fahim as the new convenor of the technical committee, which generally oversees such incidents. Then on Thursday, Fahim stated that Hridoy鈥檚 ban would be reinstated.聽
But Tamim said that it was laughable.聽
He said, 鈥楻egarding Hridoy鈥檚 issue, we said that it didn鈥檛 make any sense. Obviously, it was fine if he was banned. But after banning him for two matches, then letting him play for two matches by reducing it to one, and then suspending him again, it has become laughable.鈥櫬�
Tamim also said that all the responsibilities lie on BCB鈥檚 shoulder when his attention was drawn to Mohammedan鈥檚 alleged role in reducing Hridoy鈥檚 ban.聽聽
鈥楾his is not important whether Mohammedan pressurised [the BCB to let] him to play or not,鈥� said Tamim. 鈥楧id the BCB allow him to play? If the BCB allowed it, then he served his punishment. If he served that, then how come you suspended him again for that same case? There was debate in this. We cleared our stance and told them how we felt. Now they will take the decision.鈥�
Tamim also mentioned two other issues discussed in the meeting. One was related to the incidents during a match between Gulshan Cricket Club and Shinepukur Cricket Club where two batters were alleged to be dismissed deliberately from the latter club.聽
BCB鈥檚 anti-corruption unit then called upon those two players to reenact their dismissals. Tamim said that this was an insult to the cricketers.聽
He said, 鈥榃e clearly said to BCB that, 鈥渟ee, if there was any corruption or any player was in any wrongdoing, we want that he must be sanctioned. This is 100 percent sure. But that doesn鈥檛 mean that you have got the right to bring those two boys to act in front of the media.鈥澛�
鈥楾here is no regulation like that anywhere in the world or in any anti-corruption measure; you dishonour two boys by doing the re-enactment. This was an insult towards the cricketers. We were not a bit happy with that,鈥� added Tamim.聽
The other incident was from the last season of the BPL, where several names circulated in the media for alleged corruption.聽
鈥楢gain, if anyone was guilty, then we, all the cricketers, want that they must be punished as much as possible,鈥� said Tamim. 鈥楤ut what if two of them were innocent? Or eight of them were innocent. It鈥檚 an insult to the cricketers to leak the names. We were worried about these incidents.鈥�
鈥楤ecause we believe the biggest stakeholders in the country鈥檚 cricket are the cricketers. But if you start to treat the cricketers like this, it鈥檚 actually not done,鈥� added Tamim.聽
鈥業f anyone is corrupted, we all want that he should be punished. But you cannot humiliate them publicly. That is not right,鈥� concluded Tamim.聽聽