Tigers given code lesson

  Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal tries some photography during a leisure period of the team’s training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday. — New Age photo

The contracted cricketers of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the members of preliminary squad for the West Indies series had an extraordinary session on Sunday about their code of conduct.

The BCB organised the session following reports of widespread code violation in the recent times, especially during the difficult time in Zimbabwe when Bangladesh lost both the Test and one-day series.

BCB media manager Rabeed Imam briefed the cricketers for more than two hours in the board room at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on the code of conduct and some other key issues.

Apart from former captain Sakib al Hasan and current vice-captain Mahmudullah, all contracted players attended the session. Sakib is currently involved in the Champions League Twenty20 with Kolkata Knight Riders while Mahmudullah skipped the session to take examination. 

‘Very rarely we get so many cricketers together. It was one of those days, so we decided to brief them about certain things,’ Rabeed told New Age. 

‘Many cricketers sign the contract without properly reading the code of conduct. So often they make a mistake. We tried to give them the best idea about it,’ he said.

‘The players were also warned about writing columns in the newspapers without permission from proper channel. It was a new inclusion in their contract, so they needed to be briefed about it,’ said Rabeed.

Bangladesh’s players needed only a verbal permission from the media committee before writing columns in the past, but after Sakib stoked up a controversy in his column for a Bengali newspaper during the last World Cup, the BCB decided to add clause in their contract about it.

According to the new clause, any media house willing to a get a column from a contacted cricketer has to apply to the BCB for permission after a reaching verbal agreement with the concerned player.

Only the chief executive officer of the BCB has the authority to allow the players to write columns. Currently three contracted players – Sakib, batsman Tamim Iqbal and former captain Mashrafee bin Murtaza – are the only cricketers, who are writing columns in the newspapers.

Rabeed, however, said they do not need to obtain any fresh permission after signing a new contract in April.

‘Their current contract with the newspapers started long ago and they took permission at that time. However, the BCB can still revoke the permission any time if it wishes,’ he said.

The players were also briefed about dope test and match-fixing.

‘The team management briefs them over doping and match-fixing from time to time. Still we have told them that everyone should cooperate when there is a random dope test and they should inform anything suspicious immediately to the ICC Anti- Corruption Unit,’ he said.

‘We also briefed the players about BCB’s commercial partners. The players were told to uphold the interest of the sponsors,’ he said.

‘Currently we have four commercial partners – Grameenphone, Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Pespsi and Aamra Networks. And they all have different stakes. Players were told not to do anything that is conflicting with our sponsorship deals.’

Media committee chief Jalal Yunus, cricket operations chief Enayet Hossain Siraj and disciplinary committee chief Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir were also present  during the session. 

More on Dhaka Map | Source: newagebd.com