File photo of Bangladesh Cricket team© AFP
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) released a statement recently claiming “informal” talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over “external interference in the affairs of an elected cricket board.” In a press release, the BCB said the initiative stems from a recently published gazette by the National Sports Council regarding the formation of an inquiry committee to examine the election process. The board emphasised that the current administration is a “duly elected and fully operational body” functioning in line with its constitution and governance framework.
However, the BCB noted that the gazette has raised “significant concern,” as it could create uncertainty regarding the stability, independence, and continuity of the elected administration.
The board also pointed out that it operates within the global governance structure of the International Cricket Council and warned that any action perceived as external intervention in the affairs of an elected cricket body could trigger scrutiny under the ICC’s governance and compliance provisions.
Former Bangladesh Cricket Board secretary Syed Ashraful Haque, however, said that the BCB is under the country’s Sports Council and therefore must comply with its oversight. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has been in the news since refusing to travel to the T20 World Cup over pacer Mustafizur Rahman‘s IPL ban.
“It is a kind of threat, saying they communicated with the ICC regarding interference so that they will be saved. It is quite ironic for the current board to complain to the ICC [about government interference],” former BCB general secretary and ex-Asian Cricket Council (ACC) CEO Syed Ashraful Huq told The Daily Star.
“We are under the ICC, but first we are under the NSC, which is the parent body. The ICC does not interfere in domestic governance as long as the BCB constitution is followed. It did not intervene when Pakistan changed its board president multiple times within a few months,” he added.
“ICC is not our master; they are facilitators and friends. They will follow the constitution,” he further stated.