Tamim Iqbal, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ad-hoc committee, has pledged to ensure a level playing field in domestic cricket, saying no team will receive special privileges during his tenure.
Speaking on the opening day of the Dhaka Premier League at the Bashundhara Sports City Complex today, Tamim dismissed the long-standing notion of "committee teams," stressing that such practices would no longer be tolerated.
"There is no committee team now. It should not be a topic anymore. Since it was discussed in the past, opposing teams also took advantage of it," Tamim told the reporters.
"Even when nothing happened, people would still raise the issue. I hope nothing like this will happen under me. Everyone is equal and should get equal opportunities," he added.
Tamim, who missed the opening ceremony due to illness, later spoke to the media and revealed concerns over irregularities in wage payments to cleaning staff working under the board.
Explaining the issue, Tamim noted that during series, third-party contractors are hired through tenders, and these companies often retain a portion of the payment instead of fully compensating workers.
To address the issue, he announced measures to ensure transparency, including requiring cleaning staff to have individual bank accounts and ensuring salaries are paid directly to them.
Contractors' bills will only be approved after proof of full payment is submitted to the BCB finance department, he said.
The former Bangladesh captain said his role now carries the responsibility to act on issues he had long raised as a player.
"I did not come here just to enjoy the position. For the last 17-18 years, I have spoken about these irregularities. If I do not correct them now, my previous words will have no value," he remarked.
MSH
