Aminul Haque calls BCB election ‘questionable’

Former national football team captain Aminul Haque described the last Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election as “questionable” during a press conference at his Mirpur residence on Tuesday.

“I have said before that the cricket board election was questionable,” said Aminul, who has long criticised the BCB elections and the legitimacy of the current committee.

“We will sit down and discuss it. We want to move in the right direction. [Necessary steps] It will be taken promptly,” added Aminul, who was sworn in as State Minister for Youth and Sports in the BNP-led government on Tuesday following a landslide victory in the February 12 national elections.

While Aminul’s remarks signaled winds of change at the BCB, the previous day the current BCB president, Aminul Islam Bulbul, left the country citing personal reasons. BCB Chief Executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury confirmed that he had departed for Australia, where his family resides.

Bangladesh were excluded from the ongoing T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for refusing to travel to India over security concerns. The issue arose after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in early January.

Relating to this issue, Aminul outlined his plans to mend any strained ties with neighboring countries.

“Immediately after taking office, I met with the Deputy High Commissioner of India and discussed resolving the issue through friendly talks. We want to maintain good relations with neighboring countries and address problems in the sports arena through diplomatic dialogue. In cricket, necessary measures will be taken in accordance with ICC rules through discussion,” he said.