BCB removes director Nazmul Islam after players’ boycott halts BPL

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has removed Nazmul Islam from his post as chairman of the board’s finance committee after a player boycott led to the suspension of multiple domestic cricket matches on Thursday, ESPNcricinfo reported.

The boycott resulted in two Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) fixtures and four matches in the Dhaka Cricket League failing to start, as teams refused to come out for the toss.

The action was led by the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), which had earlier warned it would boycott matches unless Nazmul Islam resigned over remarks deemed disparaging towards national team players.

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Following the disruption of Dhaka Cricket League games, the BCB initially issued a show-cause notice to Islam, giving him 48 hours to respond. However, the situation escalated later in the day when both scheduled BPL matches were also affected.

The first BPL fixture between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, scheduled for 12:30 pm local time in Mirpur, did not begin after both teams failed to arrive for the toss. The second match, between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans at 5:30 pm local time, was similarly halted.

In response, the BCB released a statement announcing Nazmul Islam’s removal from his position as chairman of the finance committee.

As of Thursday evening, there was no official confirmation on whether the players would call off the boycott or if Friday’s scheduled matches would proceed as planned.