How much did Bangladeshi umpires' salaries increase?
During the BCB board meeting on 25 January, a decision was made to raise the salaries of umpires, match referees, and scorers.
Despite cricket being a lucrative sport, umpiring often lacks financial rewards, discouraging many from pursuing it as a career.
This sentiment has been echoed by numerous Bangladeshi umpires, and a look at their salary structure would validate this concern.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) Umpires Committee had been working on improving this for quite some time. The fruits of their efforts have finally materialised, with salaries for contracted umpires, match referees, and scorers being increased.
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During the BCB board meeting on 25 January, a decision was made to raise the salaries of umpires, match referees, and scorers. A new salary structure was introduced for the 33 umpires currently on the payroll. For the first time, scorers have also been included in this salary framework.
All umpires and scorers have been contracted on a one-year basis, with the revised salaries retroactively effective from 1 January. In addition to their salaries, they will receive extra financial benefits. As per BCB regulations, umpires and scorers will receive two bonuses each year.
One umpire, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed delight at the BCB's initiative, saying, "Finally, the BCB has shown us some consideration. This should have been done long ago. Nevertheless, we are grateful it has happened now."
Under the new salary structure, there are eight categories for umpires. The top tier, Grade 'A+,' includes ICC Elite Panel umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat, who will now receive a monthly salary of BDT 2 lakh, a significant increase from his previous salary of BDT 65,000.
In the 'A' grade are ICC International Panel umpires Masudur Rahman Mukul, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Sohel, Tanvir Ahmed, and Morshed Ali Khan. Their salaries have been adjusted as follows: Mukul, who previously earned BDT 55,000, will now receive BDT 1 lakh, while Sohel and Tanvir's salaries have been raised from BDT 46,000 to BDT 90,000. Morshed, a recent addition to the International Panel, will receive a monthly salary of BDT 70,000.
In Grade 'B,' BCB Elite Panel umpires will earn between BDT 45,000 and BDT 55,000. Meanwhile, Grade 'C' comprises ICC Development Panel, Emerging Panel, and First-Class Panel umpires. Based on experience, their salaries will range between BDT 25,000 and BDT 35,000 per month. This grade includes 19 umpires, four of whom are women. Regional Panel umpires, five in total, have had their salaries increased to BDT 25,000, up from their previous range of BDT 15,000 to BDT 16,500.
Match referees have been categorised into two grades by the BCB. Grade 'A' includes Raqibul Hasan, Niamur Rashid Ratul, and Akhtar Ahmed. As the BCB's chief match referee, Raqibul Hasan will earn the highest salary in this category, with his pay raised from BDT 1.15 lakh to BDT 1.5 lakh.
The remaining two referees in this grade, Niamur and Akhtar, will now receive BDT 1 lakh each, up from BDT 55,000. In Grade 'B,' female match referee Supriya Rani Das, a member of the ICC International Panel, will earn BDT 45,000 per month.
Additionally, the salaries of eight scorers have been increased from BDT 15,000 to BDT 20,000.
