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Former cricketer and chief selector Farooq Ahmed has replaced Nazmul Hasan Papon as the new president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The current president had resigned in the wake of political unrest in the country.
The BCB held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, during which 58-year-old Ahmed was selected.
Papon, who was in his fourth term, is in London with his wife following political unrest in the country that began with a massive student protest against reservation in jobs.
As a result, the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina collapsed and widespread violence has occurred despite an interim government taking charge.
Papon was an Awami League MP since 2009. He left Dhaka on August 5 along with 16 other directors.
“I had earlier also resigned from the post of selector because I was against this system. Now my aim is to create a system which can run the board smoothly,” Farooq told Cricbuzz on Wednesday.
Faruk played seven ODIs for Bangladesh between 1988 and 1999 and also served as the BCB’s chief selector for two stints from 2003 to 2007 and 2013 to 2016. He resigned without completing his second term after disagreements over the selection process.
The National Sports Council (NSC) has appointed Ahmed and local coach Nazmul Abedin as its new directors. They will replace Jalal Yunus and Ahmed Sajjadul Alam. Following the announcement, they attended the board of directors meeting held at the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Director Mahbubul Anam, former cricketers Khalid Mahmud and Akram Khan, Salauddin Ahmed, Kazi Inam Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Sinha attended the meeting.
We will discuss Shakib’s condition: Farooq
Awami League MP Shakib Al Hasan was last week approved by Bangladesh’s new interim government for the two-match Test series against Pakistan.
Farooq said, “We will discuss Shakib’s situation and see if he can continue playing under the current circumstances. We are also considering adding rules regarding the conduct of players during the tour, which includes a ban on advertisements.”
Tamim Iqbal, who had a fallout with Shakib, last played for Bangladesh in the home ODI series against New Zealand ahead of the 2023 World Cup but Faruk backed the opener to continue playing for a few more years.
He said, “Tamim is a sensible player and one of the best players in Bangladesh. Personally, if you ask me, I would like him to play for two-three more years. But my wish does not mean that it will happen. We have to see how his fitness is and we also have to see which formats will suit him. Test matches can be difficult, but it will be good if ODI matches are played.”
The new BCB president also reiterated his stance of not retaining Chandika Hathurusingha as the national head coach.
“I am not sure about the details of the contract with Chandika Hathurusingha. I am still at the same place as before. I have not deviated from what I said (I will not retain Chandika if he is elected BCB president),” he said.
“Now, I have to formally review some things. I will see how things should be done, can we find a better person or at least someone who can perform well, and then I will talk. I have not really moved on from that (previous) stance.
Hathurusingha’s contract is till the 2025 Champions Trophy but he has already expressed his desire to step down if BCB no longer requires his services.
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