A landmark deal

BCB issues first-class contracts
In a move to bring more professionalism and improve the standard of the country’s first-class cricket, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have brought one hundred and twenty first class cricketers under central contract. Earlier in April, fifteen national cricketers received contracts in five categories and now 105 more active first class cricketers got the contracts. The move signals a bold and pioneering initiative from the game’s governing body. The annual contract, which commences on January 01, 2013, includes monthly salary packages and health/medical coverage as per BCB policy for first class players, said BCB’s acting CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury in an enrolment ceremony that was arranged yesterday at the conference room of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.
“I think a long-awaited demand has been fulfilled today. I believe it would be considered as a turning point for Bangladesh cricket in future. The cricketers will be financially benefited by this move but more importantly it’s an honour for them and as well as recognition of their contribution to Bangladesh cricket,” said an excited BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal. “It took time because we were not financially solvent but now we have the money to spend for more cricketers. There was Tk 40 crore as FDR when I took over charge as a board president but now it has been raised to almost Tk 180 crore and in future the figure will be increased more,” he added.
Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Abdur Razzak, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mahmudullah Riyad, Imrul Kayes, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Jahurul Islam, Nazimuddin, Shuvagoto Hom Chowdhury and Elias Sunny were earlier awarded the national contracts and are receiving a handsome monthly salary while for the rest of the first-class contracted cricketers the payment scale will depend on experience — 1-5 ( Grade-C, Tk 15,00.00), 6-10 (Grade-B, Tk 20,000.00) and 11-plus (Grade-A, Tk 25,000.00) years. BCB director Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the tournament committee, informed that the players were selected on the basis of last year performance and he believes that it’s the first major step towards decentralising the sport. “I think it’s a radical move. No way we can improve the standard of our cricket until or unless we improve our first-class cricket standard. I believe this initiative brings major changes because players will be inspired. There will also be a healthy competition among the players to make sure they are in the central contract which will also cover their insurance premium,” opined Gazi Ashraf, the former Bangladesh skipper. “The aim is for grassroots development so there will be 15 cricketers from each of the eight regions,” he added.
The players who were present in the occasion also highly praised the board’s decision saying that it will inspire them to continue their cricketing career and as well as inspire the young cricketers to take the sport up as a profession.
THE SELECTED CRICKETERS ARE:
DHAKA: Shuvagoto Hom (national player), Imran Ahmed (Grade-A), Mahbubul Alam, Hannan Sarker, Mohammad Sharif, Anwar Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain, Uttam Sarker, Rokibul Hasan and Shahadat Hossain (Grade-B), Nazmul Hossain Milon, Rony Talukder, Saikat Ali, Taibur Rahman and Nazmul Islam (Grade-C).
CHITTAGONG: Tamim Iqbal and Nazimuddin (national players), Nafis Iqbal and Faisal Hossain (Grade-A), Aftab Ahmed, Gazi Salahuddin, Yasin Arafat, Kazi Kamrul Islam, Raihanuddin Arafat and Rezaul Karim (Grade-B), Sadid Hossain, Mahbubul Karim, Mominul Haque, Iqbal Hossain and Noor Hossain (Grade-C).
RAJSHAHI: Mushfiqur Rahim, Jahurul Islam and Shafiul Islam (national players), Anisur Rahman (Grade-A), Mohammad Shahajada, Farhad Hossain, Junaed Siddiqui, Forhad Reza, Saqlain Sajib and Delwar Hossain (Grade-B), Jubaier Ahmed, Mizanur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Mukter Ali and Sanjamul Islam (Grade-C).
KHULNA: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Abdur Razzak, Imrul Kayes and Rubel Hossain (national players), Tushar Imran (Grade-A), Nazmus Sadat, Sahagir Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Nizamuddin (Grade-B), Dollar Mahmud, Taposh Ghosh, Murad Khan, Mohammad Mithun and Anamul Haque (Grade-C).
BARISAL: Shaheen Hossain (Grade-A), Syed Rasel, Nasiruddin Faruque, Shafaq Al Jabir, Monir Hossain, Abul Bashar, Iftekhar Nayeem and Shahriar Nafees (Grade-B), Ishraq Sonnet, Tariqul Islam, Fazle Mahmud, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Bikash Sharma, Mohammad Sajib and Sohag Gazi (Grade-C).
DHAKA METRO: Mahmudullah Riyad and Elias Sunny (national players), Mohammad Ashraful, Tareq Aziz Khan, Arafat Sunny, Arafat Salahuddin, Nadif Chowdhury, Mehrab Hossain, Talha Jubaier Shamsur Rahman, Marshal Ayub, Arman Hossain and Sharifullah (Grade-B), Asif Ahmed and Tasamul Haque (Grade-C).
RANGPUR: Nasir Hossain (national player), Naeem Islam, Dhiman Ghosh, Sajidul Islam and Sohrawardi Shuvo (Grade-B), Ariful Haque, Shuvashish Roy, Mahmudul Hasan, Tarique Ahmed, Tanveer Haider, Alauddin Babu, Saymon Ahmed, Nayeem Islam Jr, AR Rahman Rony and Liton Das (Grade-C).
SYLHET: Nazmul Hossain (national player), Rajin Saleh and Imtiaz Hossain (Grade-A), Ezaz Ahmed, Tapash Baishya, Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque, Nabil Samad Golam Rahman, Golam Mabud and Robiul Islam (Grade-B), Abul Hasan, Sayem Alam, Abu Jayed and Shaker Ahmed (Grade-C).