Habibul Bashar has reportedly cut all ties with the rebel league, Indian Cricket League, and has sought the amnesty that was been offered by the Bangladeshi Cricket Board to all its players who had played in the ICL last year.
Mohammad Jalal Yunus, BCB board member, said that the BCB’s doors will now be open for other Bangladeshi ICL cricketers.
Talking to a news agency, Bashar said that “The board has said they are happy that I have applied for a comeback. I think I’ve two more years to give to the country and I don’t want to stay out of mainstream cricket anymore. There is no doubt the ICL is very lucrative, but money is not everything.”
The ICL had allowed up to 15th May to all its cricketers to apply for a release from its contract after all the cricket boards, followed BCCI’s footsteps and decided to grant amnesty to players if they agreed to give up on their ICL contracts. Different boards also suggested for a different cooling-off period – the time for which a cricketer from the ICL fold will not be allowed to play international cricket – and Bashar will not be eligible to play till before the end of this year.
My take: The funniest statement in this whole piece is Bashar’s line that money isn’t everything! Yes, we believe you Mr. Bashar, after all, you had changed over to the other side because you were enthralled by the quality of cricket, and the fact that money was only incidental to the whole thing. And we also believe that pigs can fly.