Unpaid players force Brothers boycott, hand Agrani walkover

Brothers Union players boycotted their Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match against Agrani Bank Cricket club on Friday over unpaid dues, leading to a walkover in one of the most embarrassing incidents of the season.

The match at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan's ground No. 4 never got underway after Brothers players refused to take the field despite arriving at the venue, prompting match officials to award the points to Agrani Bank.

Senior cricketer Sohag Gazi said that the boycott was the players' last resort after repeated attempts to resolve a payment dispute with club officials failed.

"It is purely a payment issue. There is nothing else," Sohag told Daily Sun. "We were forced into this at the last moment. We gave them time, spoke with them and went wherever we needed to go. Having exhausted all options, all the players collectively made this decision," he added. 

According to Sohag, Brothers fulfilled only the initial 20% payment promised before the start of the tournament but failed to deliver the next scheduled installment ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.

"They paid the first 20% before the opening match and fulfilled that commitment. But the next 30% was supposed to be paid before Eid. Eid passed, then the days after Eid passed, and we still did not receive a single Taka," he said.

"We have families too. We have to survive and support them. Many players could not pay their house rent. Some could not buy groceries. Even if the club paid what was agreed in the contracts, players could at least manage rent and support their families," Sohag added. 

He also alleged that before Eid, players were left waiting for hours in hopes of receiving their dues, only to be handed small amounts ranging from Tk6,000 to Tk35,000.

"Players first went to the club and later waited outside an official's house for nearly three hours. You cannot celebrate Eid with that. Around 25 to 30 families could not enjoy Eid properly," he said.

"Everyone knew players were accepting lower amounts this year. Nobody was forced. We agreed because the club also committed to paying us. But after the first installment there were only delays after delays," he added. 

The players also sought assistance from the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), but Sohag claimed that the issue remained unresolved.

"We informed CWAB and they told us they had taken steps. But even then the club did not give the matter any importance," he said.

"The message we got was: play if you want, don't play if you don't want to. If the team goes down, that's not a problem. If that's the attitude, then there is not much left to discuss," he added.