BCB in flux as key ICC meeting approaches

There was plenty of activity in Bangladesh cricket yesterday, and while this will influence how the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is run, the focus will be on today's ICC virtual meeting, where the decision on whether Bangladesh will be able to host the upcoming Women's T20 World Cup will be made.

While the Youth and Sports Adviser, Asif Mahmud, visited the BCB headquarters for the first time, the highlight of the day was the resignation of board director and cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus, which signalled significant developments in store.

The BCB's modus operandi has garnered interest ever since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, which saw many board directors go into hiding, including its president, Nazmul Hassan Papon.

Although there were suggestions from various quarters that the BCB directors might resign altogether, the National Sports Council (NSC) route was ultimately chosen to keep the board functional.

The NSC has five councillors and nominated two board directors, Jalal Yunus and Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, in the BCB's 25-member board of directors. Eventually, Yunus resigned from his directorship role under the NSC quota. "I have resigned as director for the greater good of cricket," Jalal told The Daily Star yesterday.

However, Bobby informed The Daily Star that he will not follow Yunus's lead, having received a call from NSC secretary Aminul Islam earlier on Monday.

"The secretary called me in the morning. He said that I would have to resign from both the councillorship and directorship. I told him that the NSC nominated me as a Councillor for four years, and by that equation, I am a director. So they should decide what they want to do with this Councillorship and Directorship and then inform me of their decision," Sajjadul said.

According to BCB constitution, a councilor can only be ineligible for nomination or remain a member if the person has been convicted or declared bankrupt by a court or found to be mentally ill. Regarding the matter, The Daily Star attempted to contact NSC secretary Aminul but he did not pick up his phone.

Meanwhile, with the BCB president missing, questions have been raised about who will attend the ICC's virtual meeting on the board's behalf. "The meeting will be attended by the existing members of the board," BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury said at a press conference yesterday, adding that the ICC's communications about the BCB's World Cup arrangements so far have been positive.

It is expected that Nizamuddin and another senior board director, Mahbub Anam, will attend the ICC meeting.