Representatives from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are scheduled to meet with Asif Mahmud, the interim government’s youth and sports adviser, on Sunday to discuss the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024. The meeting will address which BCB officials will retain their positions and whether the new government will implement changes within the board.
Following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s exit, Professor Muhammad Yunus was appointed chief advisor to the interim government on August 8. As a result, many BCB board members, including President Nazmul Hassan, had to step down due to their affiliations with Hasina’s party. Nonetheless, some board members are still present in Dhaka.
Interim Government To Revamp Bangladesh Cricket Board
ESPNcricinfo reports that the interim government may establish an ad-hoc committee to oversee the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The International Cricket Council (ICC) would accept this arrangement as long as there is no direct government interference and elections are held in due course. However, the ICC could investigate and take action if there are concerns about government meddling.
Should a new board be formed, the ICC will require the BCB to appoint a representative for all ICC meetings. This is reminiscent of the situation in India when a Supreme Court-appointed committee managed the BCCI, with their CEO participating in ICC meetings.
Meanwhile, the BCB headquarters in Mirpur remains operational, with Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB chief executive, managing day-to-day functions. However, many board members, including President Nazmul Hassan, have been absent since August 5. The BCB is facing challenges in its operations, especially with an ICC event on the horizon, due to the lack of a full board.
Don’t Think Many Directors Will Appear In The BCB – BCB Director
An anonymous Bangladesh Cricket Board director told ESPNcricinfo that most of his colleagues are unlikely to attend future meetings. He said that the BCB is elected, but any government directive about changes must be accepted. He added only a few directors might attend if a meeting is called.
“The BCB is an elected body but if there’s any directive from the government about a change in the BCB, we have to accept it. I don’t think many directors will appear in the BCB. If a meeting is called, the number could be five or eight [out of 24],” he said.
Another board director, also requesting anonymity, expressed concern about the upcoming women’s T20 World Cup. He mentioned that the BCB board remains in place and expects government guidance soon.
“The BCB board is still there. We will hopefully get a guideline from the government, possibly tomorrow, when the board is supposed to meet the new sports adviser. We are not worried about ourselves but we have a few events coming up, like the World Cup,” he added.
Hosting the tournament could face challenges if the ICC requires immediate security assurances from Bangladesh. The interim government, sworn in on August 8, has not yet fully activated the police force. However, there is optimism that it will become operational soon.
