In August last year, the autocratic government fell under pressure from student protests demanding quota reforms.
After the political shift in the country, former captain Faruk Ahmed became the new president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), nominated as a director by the National Sports Council. After serving 281 days, he stepped down from the president’s position.
In May this year, during an emergency meeting at the BCB office in Mirpur, board directors elected Bangladesh’s first Test centurion, 57-year-old Aminul Islam Bulbul, as the 18th BCB president. In the same meeting, Nazmul Abedin Fahim and Fahim Sinha were elected as vice presidents. The BCB elections are scheduled for October, meaning Bulbul will serve for only four months.
Recently, during a segment of the popular program Thikana hosted by journalist Khaled Mohiuddin, Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan explained the reason for removing Faruk Ahmed from the cricket board.
The Sports Adviser said:
“With the continuous decline in Bangladesh cricket, I observed that he was more focused on how to secure the BCB presidency in the next election—such as how to acquire clubs (for support)—and more interested in business than in cricket itself. We did nothing outside the constitution. If the ministry wishes, it can withdraw the NSC’s nomination. That’s what we did, and we nominated a new person, who is now the BCB president.”
Notably, Aminul, who played 13 Tests and 39 ODIs for Bangladesh, retired from international cricket in 2002 and moved into coaching. An Australia-based expatriate, Aminul has spent over a decade in various roles with the ICC and ACC.
Before joining the BCB, he served as the ICC’s Development Manager for the Asia region. He also headed the ICC’s High-Performance programs and training education initiatives.
