Players’ union head Mohammad Mithun gets death threats for supporting Bangladesh cricketers

The behind-the-cricket-scenes continue to go ugly in Bangladesh, as now the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) president, Mohammad Mithun, has revealed that he has received death threats for speaking in favour of players. The former national batter said the messages began after he protested against derogatory remarks made by a senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official regarding player payments and performances.

Mithun, who has been the public face of the players’ movement, admitted he was shaken by the experience. “I’ve never had an experience like this. It’s the first time in my life. I don’t remember ever being involved in controversial talk. It’s going over my head, when have I ever spoken against the country?” he told Cricbuzz. He stressed that his stand was purely about safeguarding cricketers’ rights, particularly with the T20 World Cup 2026 just weeks away.

The crisis started after BCB director Najmul Islam claimed players would not be compensated if Bangladesh pulled out of the T20 World Cup and questioned what they had achieved to deserve payouts. Najmul stated that players don’t face pay cuts when they don’t perform, so why should they get money now? Mind you, several players are expected to lose sponsorship money due to the India-Bangladesh conflict.

The comments obviously triggered a nationwide boycott led by CWAB, forcing the BCB to remove Najmul from his finance committee role and reschedule Bangladesh Premier League fixtures.

Death threats from own countrymen?

Mithun said he had avoided answering unknown calls and had seen threatening messages pile up on WhatsApp. “I haven’t informed the board. I don’t even know how to take help from law enforcement because I have never gone to a police station for any legal matter in my life,” he admitted. He also claimed other players had received similar threats.

Despite the hostility, Mithun maintained that participation in the World Cup remains the goal, but not at the cost of safety. “We want the player to play in the World Cup because a World Cup is a World Cup. But we never want anyone to go and play under a life threat. That’s why I receive more. But I’ve heard from other players too that they have received threats, different ways and types of threats. I haven’t talked to the board about this yet.”

The controversy has started alongside Bangladesh’s refusal to play their four group games in India, citing security concerns and seeking relocation to Sri Lanka. The ICC will now send a delegation to Dhaka for talks, while the BCB faces mounting pressure to restore order at home.

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