In exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net, Kamal sought to clarify his position on the tour of Pakistan and allay fears regarding non-payment of BPL dues and the future of that tournament.

By Amir Husain (2nd June, 2012)

 

The year 2012 has proved to be an eventful year for Bangladesh cricket. The position of Bangladesh as a force to be reckoned with in International cricket was recently enhanced by two high profile events. The first was the inaugural edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 cricket tournament. Touted as a regional rival to the hugely lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL), the BPL featured many international stars and brought promise of yet more exciting cricket to the area. The other was Bangladesh’s heroic performance in the Asia Cup held on their home soil, which saw Bangladesh knock out India and Sri Lanka to reach the final where they were narrowly beaten by Pakistan.

However, the tremendous goodwill for Bangladeshi cricket faces a real challenge in the face of some controversial issues which have emerged in the backdrop of some of its achievements. This has placed an unwelcome limelight on Mustafa Kamal, President of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). In the running for the top position for the International Cricket Council (ICC), Kamal is now facing some uncomfortable questions due to decisions related to the postponed International tour of Pakistan and the matter of delayed payments for participants in the BPL.

In exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net, Kamal sought to clarify his position on the tour of Pakistan and allay fears regarding non-payment of BPL dues and the future of that tournament.

The shambolic circumstances under which the tour of Bangladesh to Pakistan was postponed has threatened to mar the congenial relationship between the Boards of both countries. After agreeing to become the first international cricket team to tour Pakistan in almost 3 years, the BCB postponed the tour citing an injunction order from the Bangladesh Supreme court. This caused a furore in Pakistan with the Pakistan Cricket Board officials expressing their “disappointment” at what they perceived to be a decision based upon non-cricketing considerations.

Mustafa Kamal, however, rejects any such allegations and is adamant that the tour could not have proceeded with the order of the court in place but also expressed his hope that the tour of Pakistan could be arranged once the court had completed its proceedings.

“There is a case pending in the High court and until it is resolved in the courts, it was not right for the tour to go ahead otherwise it may have been termed as contempt of court. The court has issued an injunction and it’s not wise to violate that and carry on with the tour. The details of the matter are that some party has made a complaint to the court that Pakistan is not a safe place for the players to visit and doing so will be against the national interest. This case is pending in the court and will be resolved with a hearing that is expected to happen within 2 weeks time. In the event that the court dismisses this case, the Bangladesh Cricket Board will have no objections to tour Pakistan and the tour will be arranged based on mutually agreed dates as soon as possible. We are still keen on touring Pakistan.”

The Bangladesh Premier League created a buzz of excitement in the region, not only due to its position as a provider of quality cricket involving international stars, but also as an avenue for showcasing talent of Pakistani cricketers who have been deprived of attendance in the IPL.

It is unfortunate that the matter of overdue payments has cast an unfavorable shadow on any positives derived from this tournament – something Mustafa Kamal was at pains to explain stating that “To my knowledge, players and staff have been paid but there are some payments still outstanding. If any players or coaching staff have not been paid then they need to contact the organisers as soon as possible. The fact is that we have held such a tournament for the first time and the delays have been due to the required clearance from the Government, primarily due to 2 reasons. The first is one is the fact that these are foreign currency payments for which special clearance is required. The other reason is that there are tax considerations for all international players involved in BPL" stated Kamal.

Kamal further stated "I apologize for any delays due to some issues but looking to the next edition of the BPL, it’s the BCB that will sign the contracts with players directly and the payments will be made promptly on the due date without a problem.”

However, given commitments of international cricket, scheduling is an important issue that will need to be tackled in earnest if such tournaments are to establish permanency in the cricketing calendar. Mustafa Kamal is convinced that all parties will need to work together to ensure that BPL type tournaments can be held annually “As for BPL's place as an annual event in the cricket calendar, we would like to speak to other Boards who are running such tournaments in their own countries to ensure that we have an understanding that one event does not clash with another. This will require cooperation amongst the different organizations and needs to happen to make BPL an annual affair.”