Pakistan Cricketers Face Harassment From Private Clubs In Bangladesh (20 Feb 1997)

20 February 1997

Pakistani cricketers face harassment from private clubs in BD

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: Some cricketers from Pakistan have returned from Bangladesh recently with sad and deplorable tales of mistreatment at the hands of private cricket clubs in Dhaka and adjoining areas.

some former Test players, who played as professionals in the premier, first and second division leagues in Dhaka this season, that some players from Pakistan have faced a harrowing time in Bangladesh at the hands of their private clubs since November last year.

The harassment has just not been restricted to not paying promised contractual fees to them, but also to physical threats and general mistreatment by some clubs, who have made it a practice to lure players from Pakistan to represent them in the Bangladesh cricket leagues as overseas professionals.

It seems that a former Pakistan Test player, Shahid Mahboob, in fact, brought to the notice of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)`s Chief Executive, Majid Khan, the problems being faced by some of his colleagues from their clubs in Dhaka, but as a result more vindictive action was shown by club officials, while the Bangladesh Cricket Control Board (BCCB) also did not entertain the complaints. Complaints were brought to the notice of Majid when he was in Dhaka recently as a representative of the International Cricket Council (ICC) development committee on an official visit.

According to an eye-witness, when Shahid Mahboob spoke to Majid during his visit to the national Cricket Stadium in Dhaka, he was also mistreated by officials of private clubs present at that time and literally had to vacate the stadium premises. In fact, it seems that some officials of the BCCB took Majid away from the spot and later on spoke harshly to Shahid Mahboob and accused him of trying to spoil relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Being a senior player in Bangladesh on contract, Shahid Mahboob, it seems that had got fed up with the way some of his colleagues were being mistreated by some private clubs and wanted Majid to intervene to ensure players got their promised fees.

According to a first class player, Amiruddin, the modus operandi of the private clubs in Dhaka has been that they hire cricketers from Pakistan on verbal commitments for their league season, promising them fees in US dollars and accommodation.

However, in the majority of cases, when the players reach Dhaka, after a few days they start being mistreated and eventually find themselves returning home disillusioned and without the promised contractual fees. Amiruddin narrating his own case, said his club had paid him only 25 per cent of what they promised him.

Another senior player, who has consistently been going to Dhaka to play as a professional, explained that the law was such in BD that private clubs, who are run by member subscriptions and sponsors, could not on paper pay contractual fees to overseas players, as such no proper contracts are signed and verbal deals are struck.

"With the exception of two leading teams of Agrani Bank and Biman and the two private clubs, Muhammadan and Abhani, who hire Pakistani players and other countries for the premier division leagues, the majority of the other private clubs do not honour their commitments with our players," he claimed.

The senior player who gets paid around US$6000 per season by his leading team, said what was deplorable was that some Pakistani cricketers themselves were acting as middle-men for such private clubs and were luring cricketers to Dhaka with promises of fees in US dollars. "Such players after getting hold of their commission from the clubs, do not bother about the players later on."

The interesting part is that despite tales of mistreatment and betrayal, this season also some 30 cricketers from Pakistan went to Bangladesh to play in the league there after taking permission or leave from their respective departments or employers.

Among them were prominent names like Shahid Mahboob, Shahid Saeed, Manzoor Elahi, Mansoor Akhtar, Aamer Hanif, Mahmood Hamid, Zahid Ahmed, Shahid Iqbal, Asim Rizvi, Munir-ul-Haq, Ghulam Ali, Sagheer Abbas, Raees Ahmed, Nasir Khan, Jawwad Ali, Nasir Ali Khan, Amiruddin, Shakeel Sajjad, Zafar Ali. Less prominent players included Nomanullah, Turab Hussain, Majid Zafar, Laeeq Hameed, Abid Hanif, Baqar Rizvi, Kamran Hussain.

The player believed that cricketers were still going to BD simply because of economic necessity. "Most of them cannot afford to ignore promised fees between $2000 to $4000 for playing a few matches there."

There are, however, some players who have now decided never to be lured by false promises ever again by agents of the private clubs in Dhaka. One of them is National Bank`s Shakeel Sajjad, who had a harrowing experience this time with his employers, Victoria Club.

A one stage, Shakeel was so ill that he was told by doctors to return home immediately, but his club refused to pay him a amount of $1700 which was due to him for playing four matches. "Not only that they refused to help me obtain a visa to return home, as most players get their visas stamped on arrival there."

Shakeel, narrating his tale, stated that at one stage he had even been physically abuse by some of his club officials, who locked him up in their office and he was freed only on the intervention of some other Pakistan players, who managed to get him $500 as return air fare from his club.

According to another player, the only way Pakistani cricketers can be protected from maltreatment in Bangladesh is that they go there through the PCB and on proper contracts. "That is the only way we will be guaranteed our contractual fees and also be safe from any mistreatment."