After a prolonged period, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is on the brink of significant change. The familiar landscape of the BCB has changed considerably following the recent political changeover in the country. With Sheikh Hasina's resignation, the current BCB President, Nazmul Hassan Papon, is also expected to step down.
Various sources suggest that Faruk Ahmed is set to join the BCB, with strong speculation that the former national team captain could become the board president. To assume the presidency, one must first be a director, and to be a director, one must hold a councillorship.
Faruk Ahmed recently confirmed to a media outlet that he has been approached to work with the board. He stated, "I have been asked to work with the board, and I have taken it positively. I resigned from the board once before, but if the environment is good now and I can work in my own way, why not? I love cricket. Meetings are ongoing with the sports advisor."
When asked if he had received an official proposal to become the BCB president, Faruk replied, "I have not yet been offered the presidency. So, I can't say anything now. I haven't received a proposal to become president; they asked if I would work. I will consider it when the proposal comes."
Although Faruk did not directly mention the presidency, it is not difficult to connect the dots. He has been successful as a selector in Bangladesh cricket and has closely observed the game. The vacant BCB presidency is currently the most discussed topic, and it can be said that the BCB presidency is waiting for Faruk.
Faruk is already a councillor in the BCB under the former captain quota. According to the constitution, the BCB president can nominate five former captains as councillors. Faruk Ahmed and Habibul Bashar Sumon are councillors in this category. Anyone with a councillorship has the right to run for election. Although the BCB constitution was amended three times during Papon's tenure, the rule that five captains cannot run for election in Category C has not changed.
Khaled Mahmud Sujon is a BCB director from Category C. Even if Sujon resigns from this category, Faruk cannot replace him. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has four categories of directors: district-division (10), club (12), Category C - former players, and educational institutions (1). Two members nominated by the National Sports Council join these elected categories.
The National Sports Council nominates five councillors in all federations, including the cricket board. The council can also make two non-councillors executive committee members in other federations. However, the cricket board has slightly twisted this rule. The National Sports Council can nominate anyone from the entire councillor list as a director.
There are also rumours that cricket analyst Nazmul Abedin Fahim might join the board. He is a councillor of the Bangladesh Institute of Sports. He lost to Khaled Mahmud Sujon in the last election. If Sujon resigns and a re-election is held in Category C, Fahim can run again. Alternatively, if both Jalal and Bobby resign, Fahim can be appointed under the National Sports Council quota.
Apart from these two, names like Syed Ashraful Haque and a few others are also being mentioned. They are not BCB councillors. Without being a councillor, their entry into the board is a bit complicated. In such cases, it is not enough for directors to resign; the respective club or organisation must withdraw the councillorship. After that, a new councillorship must be obtained, followed by an election. The BCB constitution provides an explanation for changing club and district councillorships, but the change of National Sports Council councillorship is not clearly defined.
