Afrdi, Razzak agree to play in BPL

Admin Wed Jan 04, 2012 8:16 pm

The inauguration of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is drawing nearer, the cricket-hype among the cricket-loving people of the country is increasing with a new height as Bangladesh is going to host such a new format of cricket for the first time. The illustrious players across the cricket world are communicating regularly with the BPL authority for playing the tournament in Bangladesh.

Around six foreign players from three Test playing nations including two players from Pakistan, three from England and one from Australia have expressed their earnest eagerness to play in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League on Tuesday. Of them, all-rounders Shahid Khan Afridi and Abdul Razzak from Pakistan, Melbourne Renegades batsman Aaron James Finch of Australia, Somerset batsman James Hildreth, right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-pace bowler Darren Ian Stevens and another Somerset batsman Peter David Trego from England are in the row.

Chairman of BPL governing council Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu further informed that Afridi and Razzak are committed to play the entire BPL if there was no assignment for them to play for Pakistan.

Member secretary of the BPL governing council Sirajuddin M Alamgir informed that after talking with the players and respective board officials, they made a list of 120 foreign players, who gave their tacit consent and commitment to us in the preliminary stage of the BPL.

“We didn’t get any name from India. We hope we will get to know about the names of players from India within seven days or less time.”

Alamgir replying to a question said that the BPL had commitment to organise the auction of the teams and players in Thailand or Singapore. But we could not do the thing due to the shortage of time.”

The auction schedule of the teams and players deferred repeatedly. Last time it had scheduled to hold in Cox’s Bazar on January 14 and 15. But it will now be held on January 19 in Dhaka.

Terming the preparation of the ICC World Cup Cricket, the director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board said, “We got six more months to take preparation ahead of the flagship event but this time we just get two months for the groundwork of the BPL. So, we have been contemplated the constraint of the time and other setback to organise the biggest domestic event in the country.”

Games on Sports Management, an official Event Management Company of BPL T20) will organise a media conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on January 5 at 12pm to elaborate on the arrangements of the first edition of the BPL T20 which will be held from February 9-29, 2012.

Meanwhile, the first meeting between BPL Advisory Panel and BPL Governing Council was held at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel on Monday.

The following members of the BPL Advisory Panel headed by its Chairman Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP, were present at the meeting along with Talukder Tauhid Jong, MP, Amjad Hossain, MP, Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, MP and Najmul Hasan Papon, MP.

In the meeting, the members of the BPL Advisory Panel requested all quarters including government, sponsors and corporate houses to come forward to make the BPL T20 a great success. To ensure best coordination, the meeting also decided to hold an Inter-Ministerial Meeting with State Minister of Youth and Sports Ahad Ali Sarkar, MP, in the chair on 10 January 2012.

It was also decided to hold meeting with the Advisory Panel regularly to appraise the progress of BPL issues.
Chairman of the BPL Governing Council Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Vice Chairman Dewan Shafiul Arefin, Secretary Sirajuddin M Alamgir were present at the meeting.