Did Aminul Islam Just Become the New BCB President?

New Delhi, May 30 (NationPress) Aminul Islam, the former captain of the national cricket team, has been appointed as the new President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). He takes over from Faruque Ahmed, who was removed following a no-confidence vote amid various controversies during his brief term.

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, this decision was made during a board meeting held in Dhaka on Friday, a mere 24 hours after Faruque lost his position as one of the sports ministry’s representatives on the BCB board. This loss of position automatically rendered him ineligible to continue as president.

Aminul Islam, who captained Bangladesh during their inaugural World Cup in 1999 and notably scored the nation's first Test century in 2000, assumes leadership during a challenging period for the board. He has temporarily stepped away from his role as ICC development manager in Melbourne to fulfill this new responsibility.

Aminul will serve as president until the next board elections, which are anticipated to occur by October of this year.

The decision to oust Faruque came after eight BCB directors filed a no-confidence motion against him, which, along with findings from a fact-finding committee regarding alleged corruption in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), led to intervention from the sports ministry. One of the signatories of the motion was Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, who was also a representative from the ministry on the board.

This upheaval follows just nine months after Faruque assumed the presidency on August 21, 2024, succeeding Nazmul Hassan, who had resigned from both the presidency and his role as sports minister. Faruque’s administration faced numerous controversies, particularly regarding the dismissal of head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and the upcoming 2025 BPL.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Faruque raised questions about Hathurusinghe’s position on his very first day and subsequently dismissed him within two months—an action that reportedly violated BCB's constitutional requirements for consultation with board directors. His unilateral decisions led to divisions within the board, particularly with Fahim.

The breaking point occurred during the BPL when Durbar Rajshahi, one of the franchises, failed to compensate players punctually and left hotel bills unpaid in both Chattogram and Dhaka. This resulted in player protests and prompted government involvement.

The controversy reportedly embarrassed the interim government and caught the attention of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, who had shown keen interest in the BPL.

In total, Faruque’s presidency lasted just nine months and eight days.