Bangladesh cricketers have decided to pool up a fund by providing half of their one-month pay for a coronavirus fund as 27 players joined efforts to battle the pandemic outbreak.
A total of 17 of these cricketers are currently under Bangladesh Cricket Board’s central contract, the others have recently been on the national team.
Cricketers who play in a series for the national team without a central contract are also paid their monthly salary on a specified grade, reports bdnews24.com.
For instance, players without central contract who played in the recent Zimbabwe series will receive their monthly payment. Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who stepped down from captaincy recently, will receive fees through the top category.
The cricketers believe a total of Tk 3.1 million will be pooled after initial calculations. They are yet to decide whether they will provide the money to the government or any organisation.
Tamim Iqbal, a key initiator of the fund, said: “The sum of the money may not be that large, but we are trying to do what we can from our place.
“If we all do that, no matter how small or big, if we all join the fight, we can beat coronavirus,” said the left-handed opener.