Barishal rubbish Wasim Akram's claims of Miller being paid $150,000 in BPL
Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) outfit Fortune Barishal management said Pakistan legend Wasim Akram's claims of David Miller being paid a fee of $150,000 to play for the franchise in the latest edition of the tournament are false.
Miller played three matches for Fortune Barishal in the 10th edition of the tournament, helping them seal their maiden BPL title. The South African batter, who could score only 47 runs for Barishal this season, hit the winning runs in the final against Comilla Victorians in Mirpur on March 1.
Recently, during an episode of 'The Pavilion' on A Sports, Wasim Akram revealed that Miller was "offered $150,000 to play three matches" and that he also "postponed his wedding" to play the final for Barishal.
"No, these [information] are not true at all. These are absolutely untrue and are false info," Fortune Barishal owner Mizanur Rahman told The Daily Star regarding Wasim Akram's claims.
"He stayed because of his emotion [the emotional bond that he had created with the Barishal team members], not just because of money. Was Wasim Akram with the team? I know how much he [Miller] got paid. So, these claims are not true," Mizanur added.
Meanwhile, Fortune Barishal team manager Sabbir Khan informed The Daily Star that Miller never even postponed his wedding.
"Mizanur bhai knows about the money as he dealt with that aspect. But one thing I can assure is that his [Miller's] wedding was not postponed. It was scheduled for March 9 previously and it took place on that date. He wanted to skip the final and leave a bit early to spend some time with family, but eventually, he left just after one game," Sabbir clarified.
"After we ensured our spot in the final, Mizanur bhai spoke with him and then he agreed [to play the final]. His wedding was scheduled for March 9 and the [BPL] final was on March 1. If he [Wasim Akram] checked Instagram then he would have seen that the wedding took place on March 9," Sabbir added.
Sabbir also informed that despite initially wanting to skip the final, Miller stayed back mainly because of his relationship with the Barishal teammates.
"He [Miller] might be a very aggressive batter on the field, but he is actually a very emotional person. He had a great rapport with the Barishal teammates and maybe that's why he stayed back.
"Also, it is ridiculous to assume that he was paid almost USD 50,000, which is almost equal to 60-65 lac Taka, for every match [as Miller played just three games]. No way is this possible," Sabbir said.