Abdur Razzak adds voice to payments issue

Rangpur Riders captain Abdur Razzak has said his team's players have been playing "free of cost" in this season of the Bangladesh Premier League because they haven't been paid yet. Razzak's comments come a day after Owais Shah, the Dhaka Gladiators batsman, complained he had not been paid the first installment (25%) of his $75,000 paycheck.

The Riders are third in the tournament with three wins, after they went down to Sylhet Royals by five wickets on Thursday.

"Our focus is bound to be hampered," Razzak said. "The foreign players in my team are feeling insecure. Our owner has told us the payments will be cleared before the second round. It would be great if it happens because we are all professional cricketers. We have played free of cost so far, so there have been discussions among the players."

Razzak said he hoped the owners understood that cricket was the only source of income for most of the players, but wasn't certain he would see all the money. "I am not saying that I will be playing free of cost but if I had to, it wouldn't be a good situation. What will be my livelihood? I have spent my life in cricket.

"Truth be told, I am not confident about payment. If I say I am confident, I might not get paid, and if I say I won't get paid, they may clear the payment."

Shah had said that he received the remittance slip from the Bangladesh board but the amount had not been credited into his account. ESPNcricinfo was also told that Shah was just one of many players not to have been paid.

Tim May, the the chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), said that players' patience with the organisers had worn thin and there was possibility of a boycott if the payments were not made.