The crisis within Bangladesh cricket has reached a boiling point as the country’s cricketers have issued a stern ultimatum— if Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Director M Nazmul Islam does not resign by 1:00 PM on Thursday, players will boycott all forms of cricket immediately.

The announcement was made on Wednesday night by Mohammad Mithun, President of the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), during a press conference held via Zoom.

The players' revolt stems from a series of inflammatory comments made by Nazmul Islam, who also serves as the Chairman of the BCB Finance Committee. Tensions flared after Nazmul recently labeled former captain Tamim Iqbal an “Indian agent” in a Facebook post.

The situation deteriorated further today when Nazmul made disparaging remarks regarding player compensation in the event of a World Cup boycott.

“If they go (to the World Cup) and achieve nothing, do we ask for the crores of taka we spent on them back?” Nazmul questioned, addressing some reporters.

He further antagonised the players by asking, “If the board doesn't exist, will the cricketers exist?"”

“You all know what has been happening over the last few days,” CWAB President Mithun said.

“First it was against one person, and now the way all cricketers are being spoken about... the language being used is never acceptable. We do not expect this. A director should be careful with his choice of words. What he said has hurt the entire cricket fraternity,” he added. 

Mithun declared that if Nazmul does not step down before the start of tomorrow’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match, the players will go on strike.

"If he does not resign before the match tomorrow, we will boycott all forms of cricket," Mithun confirmed.

BPL action heats up with Chattogram leading the table

The ultimatum casts a shadow over the 12th edition of the BPL. The Noakhali Express are scheduled to face the Chattogram Royals at 1:00 PM tomorrow, followed by a match between the Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans in the evening.

Attempting to de-escalate the situation prior to the ultimatum, the BCB issued a press release earlier in the evening. The board stated that the “personal comments” of any director do not reflect the BCB's official stance and expressed regret if anyone was hurt by recent statements. However, the press release appears to have done little to quell the players’ anger.