e_Paper, Monday, July 03, 2017

Sports 19
MONDAY, JULY 3, 2017
Nazmul confident of direct WC qualification
DT
• Tribune Report
Bangladesh Cricket Board president
Nazmul Hasan hopes Bangladesh
will directly qualify for the
main round of the 2019 Cricket
World Cup as the current position
of team Tigers in the ICC one-day
international ranking table has
been impressive.
The Tigers are currently in the
seventh spot in the ODI rankings
followed by Sri Lanka in number
eight. Considering 30 September as
the cut-off time for the qualification,
Nazmul believes Bangladesh will remain
in top eight. Afghanistan’s win
over West Indies and Sri Lanka’s recent
loss against Zimbabwe helped
Bangladesh’s cause and according to
current situation, either West Indies
or Sri Lnka will go to the 2019 World
Cup as the eighth-placed team.
The top eight sides of the in the
ODI ranking on the cut-off date will
directly move to the main round of
the world cup.
“Chance of not playing the
qualification is big for us. The ICC
has already started planning considering
Bangladesh as one of the
top eight teams,” said Nazmul to
the media at his Dhanmondi corporate
office yesterday.
Speaking on the speculation of
Australia not touring Bangladesh
for the two-match Test series following
pay dispute between Cricket
Australia and its players, Nazmul
informed that the BCB has not
been informed yet regarding any
negative step from the Australian
counterpart.
“They have not informed us anything
yet. So far we know that the
tour is in place and they will tour
Bangladesh as per schedule. We are
considering that the two Tests will
Australia A to boycott SA tour if no pay deal
• AFP, Sydney
Players will boycott an Australia A
tour of South Africa this month in
an escalation of their bitter dispute
with Cricket Australia unless a new
pay deal is agreed, the Australian
Cricketers’ Association said Sunday.
The players’ union held an
emergency meeting in Sydney
where they decided to take action
for the tour beginning on July 12
unless a new Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) was signed with
CA by Friday.
ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson
said a “significant breakthrough”
was needed for the South
Africa tour to proceed.
The latest development in the
stalled pay row comes after both
parties failed to reach an agreement
on a new MoU before Friday’s
deadline after months of protracted
negotiations.
It leaves as many as 230 male
and female players unemployed
and threatens fixtures including
this year’s prestige home Ashes series.
“They don’t intend to tour but
the reality is they don’t fly out of
the country until Friday,” Nicholson
told reporters of the Australia
A tour.
“So the players are going to go
into camp as planned and hopefully
we can make some progress with
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan addresses the media in Dhanmondi yesterday
regards to the MoU.
“There would need to be a significant
breakthrough on the key issue
of the revenue sharing model.”
CA said in response it would
never force any players to play for
an Australian team.
“Australia A is a development
tour which gives players an opportunity
to perform at a high level,”
CA said in a statement.
“It is therefore surprising that
players would elect not to tour,
however CA has never, and would
never attempt to force anyone to
play for an Australian team who is
unwilling to do so.
“CA remains ready to negotiate
a new MoU and has again called on
the ACA to show genuine flexibility
and commence negotiations in the
best interests of the players and the
game.”
The players’ union decision also
includes players who are on multi-year
deals with their respective
state teams and who will refuse to
play without an MoU.
“It’s not an easy thing to do...
but we are very united,” Australia
A captain Usman Khawaja told reporters.
“We’re still going to be training
this week. Hopefully something
can be resolved, but if it’s not, it’s a
tough decision that sort of has to be
made,” he said.
“Not to go is a sacrifice in some
Usman Khawaja (L), Clea Smith (2L), Shane Watson (R) and Australian Cricketers’
Association (ACA) chief executive Alistair Nicholson speak during a press
conference in Sydney yesterday
AFP
COURTESY
respects, but we see the broader
picture.”
The ACA also warned that upcoming
Australian tours to Bangladesh
and India were also under
threat.
“Players expressed a strong desire
to tour both Bangladesh and
India and urged CA to support
them by renewing an MOU on fair
terms, allowing the tours to proceed,”
the ACA said.
“However, due to the fact of
unemployment and the resolution
and an absent MoU there are no
professional cricketers presently
obliged or available to tour.”
Australia’s Test tour to Bangladesh
is from August and the oneday
international series is in India
in September.
In the absence of a new deal the
players also discussed the prospect
of the ACA taking control of their
playing rights and selling them to
the governing body.
“The venues are all booked.
The schedule is there. It’s just a
different way to get the players
playing cricket,” Nicholson said.
“An agreed MoU remains the clear
preference.”
Looking further ahead, the ACA
said that in the event of a dispute
which could threaten this year’s
Ashes series with England, the association
would look at offering
the players back to CA “on the right
terms”. •
take place accordingly until any negative
communication from them.
Also we cannot plan an alternative
series in that slot at the moment because
Cricket Australia has not canceled
the tour,” explained Nazmul.
Meanwhile the BCB chief informed
that the next BCB election
will be held in October as per
scheduled but the governing body
is waiting for a court’s decision.
“There is no chance for a delay.
We are waiting for a decision
from the court and that’s why we
are not being able to hold even the
EGM and AGM. We wanted to have
election as per the old constitution
but our legal advisor advised us
not to do according to old constitution.
There are few pending issues.
I hope those will be solved soon,”
said Nazmul who is also a member
of the Bangladesh parliament.
When questioned if Nazmul
will like to stay as BCB president
for another term, he informed,
“It is tough for me to keep myself
away from cricket to be honest
but then again it is being hectic
for me. I think it will be better for
me to become as a board director
rather than president. I am literally
working as full time for the board
despite my engagements with my
job and politics. But I think it will
be a relatively easy ride doesn’t
matter who forms the next board.
Bangladesh cricket has reached in
a new level now and this progress
will make at least next eight year’s
job easy,” Nazmul concluded. •
Maradona says
invitation to
Messi wedding
must have ‘got
lost somewhere’
• Agencies
Diego Maradona still loves Lionel
Messi despite admitting that his
invitation to the Barcelona star’s
wedding must have been “lost
somewhere”.
The Argentine icon was among
those left off the guest list for a
star-studded event in Rosario on
Friday.
Messi did bring along several of
his Barca team-mates and international
colleagues to celebrate the
day with him, but Maradona and
Luis Enrique were among the notable
absentees.
His legendary countryman
insists that he holds no grudge,
though, and still considers the fivetime
Ballon d’Or winner to be a top
professional and man.
Maradona, who is currently in
Russia after the Confederations
Cup, told Sovetskiy Sport: “I congratulate
Messi; he knows how
much I love him.
“My invitation to the wedding
was lost somewhere, but my attitude
towards Messi will not change
because of this. He is a good athlete
and an excellent guy.” •