, Jan. 15 -- Hopes for an immediate end to the Bangladesh cricket boycott were dashed on Thursday night after negotiations between the players and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) hit a stalemate over the nature of an apology from Director M Najmul Islam.

Although the cricketers softened their stance and offered to return to the field on Friday, the BCB rejected their primary condition: that Najmul must apologize publicly for his offensive remarks.

In a press release issued earlier in the evening, the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) stated they had reconsidered their total strike in the "greater interest of cricket," noting the potential impact on the Women's National Team and Under-19 side currently playing abroa...