‘There is no chain of command in BCB’

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is currently beset by multiple issues, which former national captain Khaled Mahmud Sujon -- who has held many positions within the board in the past -- addressed in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star’s Abdullah Al Mehdi. The excerpts are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): How do you view the way the BCB is operating currently?

Khaled Mahmud Sujon (KMS): Simply put, it is not in a good state; there are too many complaints regarding the board directors. The biggest issue is that people without a cricketing background or organisational skills are there. Hence, this existent situation is natural. You can’t run a cricket board in corporate style.

DS: Did you think there was a diplomatic failure in the BCB-ICC impasse?

KMS: We all felt disrespected regarding the Mustafizur [Rahman] issue. Since the government said we can’t go, we all have to accept it, and rightly so, because it really hurt our honour. I can’t say how much the BCB was able to achieve through diplomacy with the ICC, though they did try to play in Sri Lanka. Perhaps the situation was such that the ICC could not manage it either; truthfully, you cannot blame just one person, if you do that, you would have to blame everyone. For cricketers and those who hold the game in their hearts, this feels like bleeding. It hurts that we are not going to the World Cup.

DS: The board discussed Shakib Al Hasan’s return on the day ICC replaced Bangladesh in the World Cup. Should it have been done?

KMS: Discussing Shakib’s inclusion was not warranted at the time. Without talking about these things, they should be setting example through their work. If Shakib does not get cleared from the government level, the BCB cannot change that decision. This was the moment for a discussion on the World Cup instead. Maybe it was a diversion.

DS: Insiders have confirmed M Najmul Islam’s reappointment as Finance Committee chairman, even as the BCB has yet to officially announce it. How do you view this ambiguity and players’ expressing a lack of trust in the BCB?

KMS: No one can save cricket except the board. If they don't admit this, they are making a mistake. Players are being disrespected by the board at every step. The board is the highest authority and has the jurisdiction to give a post to anyone. When they speak, they must be united and speak in unison. The biggest issue is that the board is not united. There is no chain of command in the board.

DS: Is BCB failing to solve the club cricket crisis?

KMS: Yes, there is failure. But if the clubs and organisers of the Dhaka [First Division Cricket] League do not want to play, the board can do little. So, I will not just blame the board. The clubs are also wrong. Even if a club is relegated, the councillor remains a councillor, but no one is thinking about the damage to the players caused by the quarrels.

DS: Given the gap in the Bangladesh team’s schedule till March, what should be done now?

KMS: They should perhaps organise a 50-over tournament, so that every player can play.