Tour of Ireland
BCB wants only T20s
Bangladesh will be touring Ireland only if they agree to change the format of the proposed series and play five Twenty20 matches instead of three one-dayers, the Bangladesh Cricket Board decided at a meeting on Thursday.
Ireland had issued an ultimatum to the BCB to let them know about the fate of the series by the end of this week as they were kept in the dark about signing of a memorandum of understanding.
The BCB had proposed the series and was even ready to bear part of the expenses as Bangladesh had no cricket scheduled in July-August.
Ireland accordingly gave them three options, one of which was three ODIs and a practice match from June 14 to 28 for which they did not claim any money. However, Ireland said that if the BCB wants to add a four-day match, it has to pay $80,000 and an additional $25,000 for any extra warm-up match.
Initially the BCB was positive about the demand only for the officials, to be precise BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal, to change heart as Bangladesh had already managed to convince Zimbabwe to host them for a tri-series Twenty20 tournament in June.
Kamal opposed the idea of breaking the bank for the Ireland tour, though some other officials insisted that the tour should go on as the BCB had made the proposal first.
The issue was discussed in Thursday’s meeting and it was finally decided that Bangladesh could go to Ireland only for T20 matches as it would help them prepare for the ICC World T20 in September in Sri Lanka.
‘As we have the T20 World Cup ahead, we have decided that we would request the Ireland board to change the format of the series and play T20 games instead,’ Kamal told reporters after the meeting.
‘If Ireland agrees only then we will go, otherwise not. We can play the one-day series against them after the Twenty20 World Cup and the series can even be held here.’
TV Rights
The BCB at the meeting also formed a three-member committee headed by vice-president Ahmed Sazzadul Alam to look into the tender documents that it is going to float for the television rights.
The previous TV deal with Nimbus Sports International expired in March and the Board said they will shortly float the new tender for a four-year TV deal which will end in 2016.
Nimbus owed the BCB nearly $27million and arbitration is currently taking place in Singapore regarding the matter.
David Becker, a former
consultant to the ICC, is representing the BCB in the arbitration. He will join the three-member committee, which also includes director Mirza Salman Ispahani and commercial committee chairman Aziz Al Kaiser.
‘We have learned from our past mistakes and we hope to not repeat those mistakes and make a better deal in the future,’ said Kamal.
The three-member committee and Becker will review the draft tender documents and will submit their observation within 10 days, said Kamal.
The tender documents can be purchased for $10,000 which nonrefundable.
Dhaka Premier League
The BCB removed Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis secretary Iqbal Yousuf, bowing down to the demand of local giants Mohammedan SC and Abahani Limited, who have long been demanding his resignation.
Kazi Ainul Islam, previously the coordinator of CCDM, was made the new secretary in order to complete the league, which has remained suspended since March 28. The league will resume on May 31 with the rematch of Abahani-Victoria SC game, though Mohammedan demanded the bylaws to be amended for it.
BCB president said he gave the ruling for rematch using his constitutional power and thus there is no need for amending the bylaws.
Coach
Kamal handed over the microphone to media committee chief Jalal Yunus to brief the media on the recruitment of national team head coach as it was not on the agenda.
Jalal said that they will wait for another four days for a reply from Pybus, adding that they are also in touch with a few other candidates.
Kamal interfered immediately denying the fact that they were also negotiating with others.
‘Jalal Bhai, don’t lie to the press. We are not in any touch with other coaches. We will never get a coach if we talk like this,’ Kamal told the media chief, who is officially a spokesman for the BCB.
‘If Pybus doesn’t agree only then we will look for other coaches,’ added the BCB president.
-With New Age input
