Mobile threats target CWAB President Mithun

The Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) president Mohammad Mithun has alleged that he is receiving threats via mobile phone from several unidentified domestic and international numbers.

Mithun said the threats are being delivered through phone calls and WhatsApp messages, containing abusive language and warnings. According to him, the messages accuse cricketers of acting as “middlemen” and creating instability in the country, with one threat stating that “no cricketer will be able to walk safely on Bangladeshi soil from today onward.”

Confirming the matter, Mithun told reporters that the intensity of the threats has increased since around 9pm on Wednesday night. “We have not spoken against the country. As cricketers, we raised our legitimate demands. Is that a crime?” he said.

Asked whether he had taken any legal action, Mithun said no formal steps have been taken so far, though he is considering doing so.

The allegations have surfaced at a time of heightened tension in Bangladesh cricket. CWAB had issued an ultimatum on Wednesday night, demanding the resignation of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Nazmul Islam over his remarks about players, warning of a boycott if he failed to step down.

With the deadline unmet, players went ahead with a boycott of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches earlier on Thursday. Later in the afternoon, Mithun and other CWAB leaders reiterated their stance at a press conference held at a city hotel.

Following the BCB’s decision to remove Nazmul Islam from the post of chairman of the board’s finance committee, CWAB softened its position. The players’ body said cricketers would return to the field on Friday if Nazmul publicly apologises and the BCB continues the process of removing him from the board.

As CWAB president, Mithun has been leading the players’ demands and negotiations with the BCB. He is also captaining Dhaka Capitals in the ongoing BPL.