Shining through neglect

In June this year, in what seemed like a step in the right direction, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a pay bump for the contracted women's cricketers.

The salary cap was raised to Tk one lakh, with minimum being set at Tk 50,000. 

Although the highest paid women's cricketer was set to earn eight times less than the highest earners in the men's team, it was an improvement from how things were five years ago, when the maximum a women's cricketer could earn was Tk 30,000 per month.

But just when it seemed like the authorities were finally taking women's cricket seriously, news broke out in November that the 25 contracted women's cricketers haven't received any salary in five months.

Of course, after the cat was out of the bag, BCB was quick to clear the dues. But the incident once again exposed the sheer neglect the country's women's cricket has been enduring from onset.

Beginning their journey in 2007, the Bangladesh women's team announced their arrival almost immediately by emerging as champions in the ACC Women's Tournament that very year.

In the nascent period of women's cricket, it was the fiery passion of one Salma Khatun that caught people's imagination, especially as she rose to the top of the rankings in T20s as a bowler in 2014 and an all-rounder in 2015.

The fire that Salma and Co. had ignited is being carried forward by the likes of Nigar Sultana Joty, Fargana Haque, Nahida Akter and others.

Just a month ago, the Tigresses defeated Pakistan in an ODI series at home and also registered their first win away to South Africa on December 3. 

Yet, they remain very much on the periphery of the country's cricket. 

The financial disparity alone is glaring. 

At a time when the ICC has announced equal prize money for men's and women's events; India, England and New Zealand are paying the same match fee to their men's and women's cricketers, BCB is stuck in its old ways.

With the rest of the world moving ahead with the times, is there any justifiable reason that we don't yet know how to respect and reward the talent of our women? 

Then comes the lack of women-oriented facilities for the future Tigresses, the absence of understudy teams and underdeveloped age-level scene -- all highlighting the poor structure of the country's women's cricket.

Women's cricket has been on a steady rise in Bangladesh despite such neglect from all ends.

It cannot be lost on us, as a nation, that these girls can do only so much on their own.

They, now more than ever, need the backing they truly deserve from their own nation -- to flourish as individual sportspersons as well as country representatives.