Bangladesh Players Strike - When Protests Dominated Cricket

The protest by the Bangladesh cricketers, led by their major stars Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal had threated their tour of India. The move was apparently triggered by the decision on the Bangladesh Premier League, which reduced the average professional cricketer's earning. Players' woes were furthered after the Bangladesh Cricket Board didn't raise the match fees in the first-class competition. The major demands of the players was the Dhaka Premier League, which is considered as the premier tournament in domestic cricket, should not have a salary cap. There were a total of 11 demands with the players adding two more related to revenue issues. However, the players ended the protest after a meeting with the Bangladesh Cricket Board. 

However, this was not the first time that a player's strike had dominated cricket. In July 2009, during the series between West Indies and Bangladesh, hours before the first Test at Arnos Vale, West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) recommended they boycott the match because of a long-standing row over retainer contracts for players. This forced the West Indies selectors to field a totally different XI.

In 2013, Zimbabwe and their cricketers were in the midst of a big pay turmoil. Financial concerns forced the removal of Heath Streak as bowling coach. The players who were not centrally contracted wanted to strike because the winter contracts they were being offered were not considered adequate. Having not seen their July or August salaries, the players formed a union for the first time in a decade and threatened to boycott first the whole tour, then the third ODI, then the Tests, unless paid against Pakistan. Each time, they extended their deadline. Zimbabwe would win a Test against Pakistan by 24 runs in the entire series.

Also Read | Bangladesh Players Call Off Strike, India Tour Back On Track

In 2004, the first full scale revolt in cricket was witnessed. Streak was sacked as skipper after he had confronted them with the team's grievances. Several other players having also resigned by this time. Streak was replaced by the young and untested Tatenda Taibu. Fifteen senior players were involved in a stand-off over this and other selection issues, resulting in their dismissal from Zimbabwean cricket. Although they wrote a letter, the stand-off resulted in a big talent drain from Zimbabwe. This was the continued fall-out of the black armbands protest by Andy Flower and Henry Olonga against "the death of democracy in Zimbabwe" during the 2003 World Cup. Both players subsequently retired and never returned to Zimbabwe.

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