The Bangladesh Premier League is all set to begin from January 5 and people from across the globe are expected to tune in. This comes after the seven teams participating in the tournament have displayed the weight of their wallets and roped in some mammoths of international cricket.
Reigning champions Rangpur Riders will feature Chris Gayle (West Indies), AB de Villiers (South Africa), and Alex hales (England). Other names include Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik from Pakistan with West Indians Sunil Narine, Carlos Brathwaite, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell, and Evin Lewis.
Talking about the long list of players, Australian players David Warner and Steve Smith will mark their return on the pitch after one year, following the ball tampering scandal. While the former will play for Sylhet Sixers, latter will feature in Comilla Victorians. The two teams will play against each other on Sunday. This edition of BPL also features the return of Bangladesh’s Mohammad Ashraful after a five-year suspension.
David Warner said, “You look at the names in some of the other teams. They are not just here to watch me. I am just excited to be here and be a part of it. At the moment, the BPL is starting against the BBL, at home. After this you have the Pakistan Super League and Indian Premier League. Most players tell me that this is definitely up there with the best.”
The past editions of BPL have showcased a level of competition from its Australian counterpart, The Big Bash League (BBL), and 2019 is no different. Afghan superstar Rashid Khan, New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, and England’s Josh Butler have elected play BBL instead of BPL. However, Warner’s dressing room will feature AB de Villiers and Sandeep Lamichhane, a Nepalese spinner. Both cricketers have preferred to play the Bangladeshi league.
Reiterating the money involved, salary limit for foreign players is fixed at $200,000. However, most of them have negotiated non draft individual deals, which has no limit. Though winning prize money is $240,000, commercial avenues are expected to yield good returns to every team.
The tournament starts on January 5, 2019 and will have 42 matches in total. Top four teams will qualify for the semis and the final game of this year’s BPL will be held on February 8, 2019. The dates will allow Australian players to return home, if needed for next series practice.
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World Bank approves development operation for Bangladesh job sector
On Thursday, The World Bank approved a $250 million development policy operation in an attempt to help the Bangladeshi government increase the number, quality, and pay scale of jobs. This comes after the disproportionate nature of the country’s economic growth and corresponding employment generation.
Qimiao Fan, Director of World Bank Country for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal said, “Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in accelerating growth and reducing poverty, but the rate of job creation has not kept up with economic growth. Creating more and better jobs is a prerequisite for the country to achieve its vision of upper-middle income status.”
According to The World Bank, the objective of Programmatic Jobs Development Policy Credit is to help Bangladesh establish a stronger policy and institutional structure. This would act instrumental in overcoming the predominant hurdles and consequently, generate better quality jobs for youth and women.
“This will require the economy to create jobs for the 2.2 million youths entering the labor force each year, while attracting more women into the labor market. This program supports reforms to stimulate trade and private sector investment, strengthen social protection for workers and help the vulnerable population access jobs,” added Fan.
The program is expected to target multiple age groups of employment sector in an individual manner. For instance, enhancement of childcare services would promote the essence of participation from mothers while simultaneously encouraging other women. Similarly, skill development and work protection will be the primary targets of the program. The expected ways to achieve this include improvements in labor law, ease of doing business, pensions, and trade facilities.
Thomas Farole, World Bank Lead Economist and Task Team Leader commented, ““This program seeks to increase investments in labor-intensive activities, improve the quality of jobs, strengthen resilience to shocks, and ensure that women, youth, and migrants access job opportunities.”
According to the World Bank, Bangladesh’s IDA program is the largest with $12.2 billion. The credit from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) has to be paid within 30 years, including a half-decade grace.
Bangla News Express 