1 – The present committee of the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) will have to resign immediately, going forward, a professional cricketers’ association, whether under the name of CWAB or otherwise, will be have to established. The Association will be independent and autonomous of the BCB, having a written constitution and an executive committee elected annually by professional cricketers meeting defined eligibility criteria. The elected executive committee shall not include any person who is holding any office in BCB. The association will represent the interest of professional cricketers of Bangladesh, as distinct from the other stakeholders of cricket in Bangladesh, such as the administrators, the club and franchise owners and sponsors. The cricketers believe that their demand for an independent and autonomous professional cricketers association is crucial in the continuing development of the sport in Bangladesh, and is similar with the administration of cricket in other Test playing countries, such as England, where the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) was established in 1967, and Australia, where the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) was incorporated in 1991.
2 – The Dhaka Cricket Leagues, including the Dhaka Premier League, will have to be organised as it was before the introduction if draft system, and remuneration caps. There should be freedom of choice for the players in entering into the contract with the clubs, and the market should be allowed to determine their remuneration.
3 – From the next season, the Bangladesh Premier League will have to be organised as it was before, with reintroduction of the franchisee system. Players should have the freedom of choosing the category in which they are placed for auctions, or otherwise negotiate contracts with franchisees freely. Discrimination in remuneration between foreign and Bangladeshi cricketers have to be removed.
4 – The match fee for First Class cricket will have to be increased to at least Tk. 1,00,000/- Taka one lac only) per match. Players’ salary and match fees will have to be increased and reviewed annually. Coaches and physios will have to be provided all the year round. Arrangements for year round practice will have to be made at each Divisional Headquarter.
5 – The daily allowance of Tk. 1,500/- provided to cricketers during domestic matches is meager and inadequate. This has to be increased and reviewed annually. Where available, air travel to and between venues has to be provided. Improved hotel accommodations will have to be arranged with gymnasium and swimming pool facilities wherever possible.
6 – The number of salary of cricketers centrally contracted as national team players with the BCB will have to be increased and reviewed annually.
7 – The salary of local staffs, including coaches and goundsmen, will have to be increased to levels comparable with other Test playing countries and reviewed annually.
8 – The number of List A matches and tournaments will have to be increased, and at least one other annual T20 tournament has to be introduced domestically.
9 – A domestic calendar has to be introduced, and more importantly maintained, so that players can know in advance and plan accordingly in their personal and family lives.
10 – Players’ dues, including dues from the BPL, have to be settled timely.
11 – The restriction of Bangladeshi cricketers playing more than two franchisee leagues globally will have to be removed. Schedule and national commitments permitting, a player should be allowed to play as many franchisee leagues as he may receive offers for.
12 – Going forward there should be transparency and accountability of income and expenditure and maintenance of accounts in Bangladeshi cricket n the interest of all its stakeholders. Arrangements will have to be made where professional cricketers are given a fair share of the revenue generated by BCB through commercial exploitation of cricket and its associated interests, which after all, is made possible through the toil and performance of the professional cricketers. A cricketers’ welfare, provident and compensation fund and insurance scheme has to be established and administered, which will ensure welfare of cricketers who have fallen on hard times, provide pensions to retried cricketers and compensation to injured cricketers on fulfillment of objectivity defined and administered criteria.
13 – To the extent practical and commercially feasible, similar provisions as above will have to be made for female cricketers, with the ultimate objective of attaining gender parity as early as possible.
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