Women's cricket team not paid their salaries for 5 months, BCB 'unaware'

The Bangladesh women's cricket team has not received their salaries for the last five months despite having success on the field.

There are 26 female cricketers contracted to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), all of whom are supposed to get paid monthly salaries.

The Business Standard (TBS) contacted Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel who is the chairman of the women's wing on the matter and he said that the BCB were not 'aware' of the situation.

"We will have the issue with unpaid salaries solved within a few days," Nadel told TBS.  

Nadel explained that the matter of the unpaid salaries was not in his knowledge and none of the players had informed him either. 

"It's true (the unpaid salaries). As the head of the women's wing, it's my responsibility. I'm in charge of this and the players have not been paid for five months. Honestly, I did not know about this and none of the girls told me about it," Nadel explained.

"They were playing series', then they had training camps and as a result of everything, the issue about the salaries being unpaid got missed. The contracted players are on a list that is sent to the accounts department for the salaries to be paid. That list didn't go to the accounts department after the last board meeting, as a result of which the salaries were unpaid," he added.

Nadel was asked whether he found the issue of unpaid salaries to be an anomaly of whether this often happens: "I got to find out around 5-6 days ago and processed the paperwork needed and I think it should be paid by this Thursday." 

The poor salaries being paid to women's team cricketers have been a big talking point among people and in the media for a while now. 

After much criticism, their salaries were increased by 20 percent in June this year by BCB president Nazmul Hassan.

The highest salary a player can earn under the BCB contract is one lakh taka and the minimum is 30,000 thousand taka.  

Many of the players have been upset by the situation of the salaries remaining unpaid but no one was willing to speak about it to the media with their names being revealed.

"No one from the BCB seemed to be bothered by the fact we don't get our salaries for the last five months. No one asked us about it and we couldn't figure out who to ask what. We thought that those who were in charge knew about these things. To be honest, we have nothing to say, everyone knows how little we get paid," the women's team cricketer, unwilling to have her name revealed vented.