Cricket players, both past and present, meet with the BCB president to express their concerns.

In addition, there were further incidents. After the BCB announced that they had launched an investigation after concerns were raised regarding the Bashundhara Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League 2024-25 match between Gulshan Cricket Club and Shinepukur Cricket Club, the Anti Corruption United members of the BCB called Naeem and Sabbir of Shinepukur Club to the academy ground of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. There, ACU officials attempted to recreate the contentious dismissal using cameras placed on either side of the central wicket. On April 9, 2025, the match took place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, current and past national cricket players, led by Tamim Iqbal, met on the spur of the moment with Faruque Ahmed, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, because they felt offended by the board’s recent actions.

Recently, Towhid Hridoy became a hot topic when Nazmul Abedin Fahim, the convener of the CCDM technical committee and the chairman of BCB cricket operations, announced on April 24 that Mohammedan Sporting Club captain Towhid Hridoy would be suspended for the team’s match against Gazi Group on April 26.

Hridoy’s early return to the field after serving just one game of a two-game suspension sparked much criticism, which led to the decision. While Cricbuzz learnt that BCB elite umpire Sharafuddoula Ibne Saikat, who was present at the Dhaka Premier League match where Hridoy misbehaved, also submitted his resignation to the board because he was not prepared to continue after the ban was lifted, former CCDM technical committee convener Enamul Haque Moni resigned in protest of the way the Hridoy case was handled.

Tamim Iqbal stated that it was really upsetting for them when the names of ten cricket players were revealed in the public during the most recent BPL, as suspected by ACU. “We’ve all gathered here mostly because of various situations that have disturbed the players in recent months. After the meeting, Tamim informed reporters, “I want to share two or three points.”

“The Tawhid Hridoy problem comes first. Hridoy was given a two-match suspension following an altercation on the pitch. None discussed that when he was suspended. He was disciplined by the match referee and umpires. No one objected, even though the choice might appear harsh to some of us. The penalty was later lowered to one match, though. No one objected once again after BCB made the ruling. “Hridoy played two matches after serving a one-match ban,” he stated.

“He was suspended one more yesterday. I’m not sure which statute he’s suspended under. It was a humorous event. After being permitted to play two games, he has already served his punishment and cannot be suspended again. How can he be suspended once more? “This was our top priority,” he stated.

“Secondly, the Gulshan-Shinepukur match a few days ago featured some nasty situations that were witnessed by everyone. We have previously told the board that we all want the players to be properly punished if there was any corruption or if they made mistakes. You won’t have to force those gamers to reenact those scenes, though. Nobody is authorised to do that. No anti-corruption commission in the world has a provision that permits you to disparage them in front of the media,” he stated.

A list of ten players appeared in the media from the BPL. Everyone wants the guilty players to receive the appropriate punishment. There were some innocent ones, though, whether there were two or eight. It is offensive to leak their names in the media. This incident disappointed all of us. We asked the president of the board to attend. He had two directors with him. We had a lengthy conversation and presented our arguments,” he stated.

Given that the game is set for tomorrow, we strongly advise making a choice regarding the Hridoy controversy as soon as possible. They will undoubtedly make an announcement shortly. The events of the past two to three months have been troubling everyone, which is why we have all gathered here,” he stated.

“Whether Mohammedan put pressure on BCB to allow Hridoy to play or not is irrelevant. How can he be punished twice in the same scenario when BCB permitted him to play? Our position on this issue had been clarified. The board will now make the choice,” he continued.

The reaction of BCB

The BCB has now clarified that Hridoy’s two-match punishment has been postponed by the technical committee for a whole year. “This considered approach was adopted with the intent to uphold the integrity of the game, support the continuity of the current tournament, and promote a spirit of unity and sportsmanship within the cricketing community,” the BCB stated in a statement.