Bangladesh board also offers amnesty to ICL players

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), following the lead of the BCCI and the PCB, has decided to allow Bangladesh cricketers who signed up with the ICL to participate in domestic cricket, subject to the termination of their contracts with the unauthorised league by June 15.

The players who want to return to the domestic fold will have to formally apply to the BCB for permission, but the board, in its press release, confirmed that they would not be available for selection to the national team until December 31 2009.

"We have taken a very soft approach. They have to scrap their deals with the ICC-disapproved ICL by June 15 and then apply to us. We'll then allow them to play domestic matches," Jalal Yunus, the spokesman for the Bangladesh board, told AFP. "If they prove their worth in the domestic leagues, we will consider them for the national cricket team from January 1 next year. We have reopened the door and now it's their choice whether they want to play for Bangladesh again."

The BCB had earlier imposed a ten-year ban on 13 Bangladesh cricketers who signed up with the ICL, including former captain Habibul Bashar. Its decision to provide them an opportunity to return to domestic cricket comes after the BCCI offered amnesty for all Indian players associated with the ICL. New Zealand Cricket even considered waiving off the 'cooling period' required for players to return to international cricket.

The PCB said it would consider offering amnesty to its players on a "case-by-case" basis, and the BCB's decision is the latest in a trend of cricket boards offering to reinduct ICL players after adopting a hardline policy initially.