Tamim, cricketers gather in protest at Mirpur over Hridoy ban saga

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed has arrived at the board premises to meet with cricketers who began assembling at Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday morning in protest of the suspension of Mohammedan's Towhid Hridoy and the BCB policies that contributed to the situation.

Tamim Iqbal and several other players gathered at the National Cricket Academy in Mirpur for discussions and are expected to address the media later.

The controversy surrounding Towhid Hridoy's suspension shows no sign of ending. The latest episode saw several players, including Tamim Iqbal and cricketers from Mohammedan and other teams, join the fray.

Tamim, who captained Mohammedan earlier this season before stepping away due to illness, led a group of players to meet with BCB President Faruque Ahmed at the board's office this afternoon, following internal discussions at the Mirpur Academy building. Also present at the meeting were BCB directors Nazmul Abedeen, head of the cricket operations department, and Iftekhar Rahman, head of the umpires and media committee.

After a long meeting, Tamim addressed the media, saying, "Hridoy already served the punishment that was handed to him. After playing two matches, we suddenly hear he's been suspended again. Under which rule, how is that possible? I don't know. It's ridiculous—he cannot be suspended again under any circumstances. If the BCB allowed him to play two matches, that means he served his punishment. How can he be suspended again for the same incident?"

Tamim added, "When Hridoy was initially handed a two-match suspension, none of the players raised any objections, even though we personally felt the punishment was quite harsh. Then, the suspension was reduced to one match by the board. Again, we didn't say a word."

When asked whether BCB let Hridoy play under pressure from Mohammedan, Tamim replied, "Whether there was pressure from Mohammedan is irrelevant. Since the BCB gave him permission to play, it means he completed his sentence. How can there be a second punishment for the same incident? It's laughable."

Tamim's tone suggested that the Hridoy saga might still have more chapters to come, especially with the BCB's technical committee reportedly deciding last night to impose an additional one-match ban. "We shared our points with the board president and told him we were upset with how things are being handled. We asked for a quick resolution since there's a match tomorrow. You'll probably hear a decision soon, and so will we," Tamim said.

The players also raised two more concerns with the BCB president. One involved the Gulshan–Shinepukur match in the Dhaka Premier League, where the board's anti-corruption unit brought in two players and made them re-enact a controversial incident from the match at the academy ground. Expressing strong disapproval, Tamim said, "We also want anyone involved in wrongdoing to be punished. But that doesn't mean players should be summoned and made to act out incidents. No anti-corruption unit in the world works like this. It's insulting to the players."

The other issue discussed was the public naming of players suspected of involvement in spot-fixing during the last edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Tamim said revealing names before any formal judgment is demeaning and harmful. "For the past two to three months, players have been disheartened by these kinds of incidents. That's why we decided to come together and speak directly to the president."

Interestingly, as Tamim was holding his press briefing, BCB President Faruque Ahmed was seen leaving the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.