Old DOHS captain Mohammad Ashraful bats in the nets during a training session at the outdoor facility of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium at Mirpur on Sunday. — New Age photo

The uncertainty over the Dhaka Premier League still persists as the three squabbling clubs refused to return to the field on April 10 as decided by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
The BCB at an emergency meeting on Saturday asked the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis to resume the league on Tuesday but all three clubs – Abahani, Mohammedan and Victoria – involved in the ugly battle said they were denied justice.
The league came to an abrupt halt after Abahani refused to take the field half-way through their match against Victoria alleging that their opponents fielded an illegal player in Mohammad Yusuf.
Victoria had been awarded two points by the match referee, a decision which was upheld by both the CCDM and the BCB. The CCDM found nothing wrong in Yusuf’s clearance from Mohammedan, which was behind all controversies. 
The BCB, however, said the validity of Yusuf’s clearance is still unclear and preferred further inquiry into the matter through experts. Until the issue is resolved it asked Yusuf to refrain from participating in the league.
Abahani found BCB’s decision ‘a double standard’ and said they will not accept it in any case. 
‘They have awarded Victoria two points while also asked Yusuf not to play. If his transfer is legitimate then he should not be barred from playing, so the decision is contradictory,’ said Abahani cricket secretary MA Awal Chowdhury. 
He, however, added that any decision of returning to the field will depend on their cricket committee chairman Nazmul Hasan, who is currently abroad and is unlikely to return before April 10. 
Mohammedan cricket committee chairman Khondoker Jamiluddin echoed the same words and it is unlikely for them to return to the field until the legitimacy of Yusuf’s clearance is ascertained.  
‘We won’t take to the field unless they clear the issue regarding Yusuf,’ said Jamil.  ‘We have lodged a complaint and they have to give a result. But we haven’t got it,’ he said.
‘They kept the issue hanging on the plea of further inquiry, which is totally unacceptable,’ he said. 
Victoria are also unhappy with the BCB ruling, albeit for a different reason.
The club had applied for permission to recruit two additional foreign players as they lost Sakib al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal to the Indian Premier League.
While the BCB allowed all clubs to register two additional foreigners, the maximum number of foreign players playing in a match is still three.  
‘We did not request them to increase the number of foreign players. We wanted to increase the participation of the overseas players in each game from three to five. But the BCB did not pay any heed to us, which is an injustice,’ said Victoria governing body chairman Lutfur Rahman Badal. 
Meanwhile, Aiynul Islam, the co-coordinator of the league, vowed to go by the BCB instruction and said if any team refuse to take the ground they will risk themselves of being relegated. 
‘We will resume the league on April 10. If any team refuse to take the ground then as per the by-laws of the CCDM action will be taken against them,’ said Ainul.
According to rule, if any club give walkover they will be scratched from the league and the CCDM has already applied the rule on Surjo Tarun this season. 
The BCB officials refused to make any comments.
Gazi Ashraf Hossain, a BCB director who was part of four-member special committee that worked on the issue, said the law will take its own course if anything happens further.
‘We haven’t told by the clubs that they will not play. We have given our decision and the CCDM will take further action if necessary according to the playing condition,’ he said.