DHAKA: Former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam Bulbul is set to take over as the new president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) following the removal of Faruque Ahmed.
The National Sports Council (NSC) granted Bulbul councillorship, paving the way for his appointment, BCB officials confirmed on Thursday.
Bulbul is expected to be formally elected as BCB president during a board meeting scheduled for 4:30 pm today.
According to sources, the appointment is largely procedural, as there is unanimous support among board members for Bulbul to assume the role.
Bulbul, Bangladesh’s first Test centurion and a former ICC development officer, confirmed his willingness to take on the role for a short term
“Yes (the Sports Council has also made a proposal). Before agreeing to their proposal, there was the issue of talking to the ICC where I work. I said, the ICC has no objection. I will come for a short time, then maybe I will go back to the ICC,” Bulbul said.
The leadership change comes after the NSC terminated Faruque Ahmed’s membership, effectively ending his tenure as BCB president. The decision followed a no-confidence letter signed by eight of the nine BCB directors earlier in the day.
Despite the mounting pressure, Faruque initially resisted calls to step down.
“I’m not thinking about stepping down for the time being. Nobody has given me a valid reason to do so,” Faruque said.
“Why should I leave when others continue in their positions? First, I need to know the actual reason. Second, I didn’t take this role on my own, I was selected. Since I was brought here, I deserve to know what my crime is and why I should resign,” he added.
Later in the evening, the Ministry of Youth and Sports officially confirmed the withdrawal of Faruque’s nomination as the NSC’s representative on the BCB board.
The ministry cited the no-confidence letter and the findings of a fact-finding committee investigating issues related to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
“In light of the no-confidence letter sent by eight BCB directors against Faruque Ahmed, and the report presented by the fact-finding committee about the BPL, his nomination as the representative of the National Sports Council (sports ministry) has been cancelled,” the statement from Bangladesh’s sports ministry said.
Faruque, who was one of two directors nominated by the sports ministry, had been appointed to the BCB board and elected president on August 21, 2023. His tenure lasted nine months and eight days.
The directors who signed the no-confidence motion included Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Mahbubul Anam, Kazi Inam Ahmed, Fahim Sinha, Salahuddin Chowdhury, Iftikhar Rahman, Saifur Alam Swapan Chowdhury, and Manjur Alam.
Former national captain Akram Khan was the only director, aside from Faruque himself, who did not sign the letter.
