Political parties are yet to agree on the appointment process for key constitutional and statutory bodies, including the Public Service Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Comptroller and Auditor General.

Despite 20 days in the second round of talks between political parties and the National Consensus Commission, the structure of the caretaker government system is still unresolved. Only three days remain before the commission's July 31 deadline for finalising the "July Charter" ends.

Yesterday, Jamaat-e-Islami proposed a new method for forming the caretaker government. For the chief adviser selection, the party suggested that if a unanimous decision cannot be reached by the proposed five-member committee, the panel members can go for open ballot rank-choice voting system, a method where voters rank candidates in order of preference.

According to Jamaat, this approach would reduce the risk of "horse trading" and promote greater transparency.

Meanwhile, the BNP walked out of the consensus commission dialogue session yesterday, protesting the tabling of appointment of Ombudsman and formation of three key constitutional bodies. 

The party rejoined the talks around 12:30pm.

Briefing reporters, commission Vice-president Prof Ali Riaz said most political parties supported amending article 137 of the constitution to reform the PSC appointment process. However, the BNP and a few other parties preferred legislating the procedure instead of amending the constitution.

"Despite differences on the method of appointment, all parties agreed that the PSC must remain independent and free from political interference," he said.

Regarding the caretaker government set-up, Prof Riaz said while all parties agree on its reinstatement, there remain diverging views about the decision-making process, and structure of the appointment committee.

The BNP has yet to endorse Jamaat's rank-choice voting proposal, though the commission remains optimistic that consensus might be achieved by this morning.

The National Citizen Party said it would discuss the proposal at its party forum.

"There is broad political consensus on reintroducing the caretaker government system," said Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer.

"While some differences remain on its structural framework and the appointment process of the chief adviser, we have proposed a new method."

Regarding the PSC formation, both Jamaat and NCP pushed for de-politicisation of appointments. They strongly supported constitutional provisions outlining the formation, regulation, and appointment procedures at the PSC.

Akhtar Hossen, NCP member secretary, said, "We proposed a selection committee that is non-partisan and includes representation from both the ruling and opposition parties. This is how we can prevent political influence and ensure good governance."

He pointed out that the article 138 allows the president to make appointments based on the prime minister's advice.

"Replacing that with a neutral selection committee in the constitution would not be a radical shift, but rather the beginning of effective accountability.

"The BNP agreed to a selection committee for electoral reforms. We urge them to reconsider their position on this issue too. If such a committee is acceptable for the Election Commission, why not for other key institutions?"

Prof Riaz said most parties supported making the ACC a constitutional body. While the BNP and a few others expressed reservations. Discussions are continuing with possible revisions, he said.

Due to time constraints, discussions on women's representation in parliament could not be held yesterday. However, the commission said the topic will be taken up in the next two days.

In a surprising development, a false fire alarm at the Foreign Service Academy briefly disrupted yesterday's dialogue. Around 12:15pm, the alarm went off, prompting participants to evacuate the building.

By 12:25pm, the alarm was deactivated, and the session resumed. The commission requested a probe into the incident and asked for a report within 24 hours.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said that not just his party, but the entire nation has been left disappointed by the chief adviser's announcement that the next national election will be held in April next year.

Speaking to journalists last night at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after returning from Thailand where he had been receiving medical treatment, Fakhrul said people had been hoping for an earlier election schedule.

"The BNP has repeatedly said that it wants elections as soon as possible. We had hoped that Dr Muhammad Yunus would announce the election date by December. But undoubtedly, not only the BNP, but the entire nation has been disappointed by the announcement of elections in April," he told reporters.

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Govt officials hopeful election announcement will clear the air

Bangladesh cricket is set to get a glimpse of a new era in Tests when they take on hosts West Indies in the first of the two World Test Championship (WTC) fixtures from November 22 in Antigua.

The game will be the Tigers' first in the format without any of the 'Big Five' -- Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza -- since they all appeared together in a Test, also away to the Windies, in 2009.

However, the notion of a future sans the 'Big Five' isn't something new for Bangladesh cricket and its fans.

The inevitable had been anticipated for a while now, but preparations for it have not matched the talk of the fear garnered at the prospect of it. There could be two bleak reasons for this -- first, the subpar cricketing culture that could not provide another as talented a bunch of cricketers as the 'Big Five' in the past decade, and second, the over-hyped legacy left behind by the five stalwarts.

While their individual heroics bailed Bangladesh out a number of times or at least provided solace in an otherwise underwhelming match, series, tour, or tournament, the collective achievements of the 'Big Five' are a far cry from the level of hype they garnered.

Or, maybe, the hype is befitting the standard of a team like Bangladesh, who are currently tottering at nine in all three formats.

That game in which Bangladesh beat hosts West Indies by 95 runs in Kingstown in 2009 to register their only second Test victory was, however, the final appearance in the format for Mashrafe, who had to limp off the field due to an injury very early in that game.

Including that only Test, the 'Big Five' of Bangladesh's cricket have played together in 111 matches across formats, helping the Tigers win on 54 occasions. Bangladesh lost in 53 of these matches with four producing no results.

Not as overwhelming a figure as it is made to look, right?

However, focusing only on results will definitely not give the entire picture of the impression that these particular five have left on Bangladesh cricket's landscape.

As startling as it may sound, during the nearly 12-year period between their first appearance together for Bangladesh -- against Sri Lanka in the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup -- and the last one -- also in a World Cup, albeit in the ODI version, in a game against Pakistan at Lord's in July 2019 -- the Tigers have not played a single game across formats without at least one of the five stalwarts.

This particular fact shows how important each of Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiqur, Mahmudullah, and Mashrafe have been for Bangladesh. On the flip side, it also tells a sorry tale of a cricketing nation that has failed to produce such talents who could emulate, join, or, even surpass the legacy of these five cricketers -- a statement that could be further validated by the fact that since the end of that 12-year period, Bangladesh have played 14 matches across formats without any of the 'Big Five' and the result has kind of been similar with the Tigers losing seven and winning six.

The fear of not having the experience of at least one of those stalwarts might have been made to sound like a huge deal, but as reality depicts, things have continued on the same trajectory as before.

With another Windies series knocking, will things take a turn for the better? Recent results, including the humiliating losses to South Africa at home and away to India in the previous two months, don't augur well for the Tigers.

Even though they have been a part of the mediocre cricket Bangladesh have played over the years, the 'Big Five' are not to be blamed for how their contributions have been inflated more than deserved.

And, now, with none of these five cricketers in the picture for at least this Windies series, this gives the Tigers an opportunity to at least show indications of snapping out of the long-prevailing mediocrity.

Sylhet Strikers captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza has decided to take a break from the ongoing 10th Bangladesh Premier League T20 and join his responsibility as the Whip in Parliament.

Mashrafe will be available to play for the Strikers further in the season if there is opportunity in between his political commitments and schedule, said a press release from the franchise.

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Does Mashrafe's fitness reflect BPL's competitiveness?

In absence of Mashrafe, Sylhet Strikers' vice-captain Mohammad Mithun will be the captain of the team, added the release.

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Mashrafe admits his BPL participation ‘not ideal’

The veteran cricketer led his franchise in all five games of the season, losing all of the matches as they sit at the bottom of the seven-team table.

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Playing unfit Mashrafe is ‘belittling the tournament’, says Ashraful

Mashrafe's own form and fitness have also come into question as he failed with the bat while his bowling has been reduced to bit-part roles.

Former Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza turned heads when he got a wicket with his very first delivery in this season's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) on Friday.

The veteran, however, has been struggling with fitness issues following his return to cricket after a long break and his franchise's decision to give him the captaincy raised questions about BPL's inherent lack of quality.

It had been some eight months since he had last played competitive cricket in the Dhaka Premier League.

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BPL: A league without a purpose

Mashrafe is leading Sylhet Strikers this BPL, having won the franchise tournament the most times as skipper for various franchises in a decorated career. He had played the match against Chattogram Challengers which his side lost by seven wickets. Although he got a wicket off his first delivery, the end was not sweet as Chattogram's Najibullah Zadran smashed him for 16 runs in three deliveries of the 19th over to finish off the game.

Mashrafe yesterday came for his first practice session this season and worked on his batting. It could be surmised that the BPL's grind could be a tough hurdle for the veteran. While his dedication for the game is still an example, playing him puts the team's plans regarding BPL into doubt.

When he arrived at the field, many were checking the state of his legs and after his batting session, which was of low-intensity against spinners, Mashfare had difficulty taking off his pads.

"Actually, rather than Mashrafe bhai's performance, him just being in the field is the main motivation for us," Zakir Hasan, who scored an unbeaten 70 off 43 deliveries in the defeat to Chattogram, said at the press briefing when asked about the veteran's involvement.

"Him being there makes decision-making easy which is what I felt and that's important for us," Zakir added.

When asked whether Mashrafe would feature more as a batter than a bowler in their next game, Zakir said: "I think it would be better to ask bhaiya (Mashrafe) the question instead of me since he batted for the first time this season in a practice session. He came in previous sessions too but maybe he is trying to prepare himself well with the bat."

While there are players available for captaincy including Najmul Hossain Shanto, the stand-in skipper for Bangladesh across formats, Sylhet went for the tried and tested virtues of Mashrafe.

There were speculations prior to the start of the tournament on whether Mashrafe would captain the side but such speculations subsided once an official press release informed of the captaincy assignment. There are also whispers that he did not want to take the captaincy role but did so due to the franchise's request.

The BPL once injected rules such as making it mandatory to have a 140 km/h pacer in the attack for the sides. While BPL appeared to have standards falling over the years, last season brought some freshness in terms of competitiveness. Only time will tell time will tell if the resurgence of competitiveness would sustain given the fitness standard of one of its key players.