Heavy police presence was seen yesterday at the gates of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, even on a public holiday, amid heightened tensions surrounding the upcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections.
By midday, news spread among officials of clubs that had withdrawn their nominations, prompting them to rush to the stadium. While some termed it a protest, others suggested it was for different reasons.
Later, two candidates who had withdrawn—Rafiqul Islam of Indira Road Krira Chakra and Mirza Yasir Abbas of Azad Sporting Club—visited BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury for a meeting. However, they were unable to meet him. Speaking to the media afterward, Rafiqul Islam, accompanied by Yasir Abbas and Abdullah Mohammad Fuad Redwan, a director candidate from Dhaka Division, placed three proposals through Youth and Sports Affairs Adviser Asif Mahmud.
The proposals put forward included extending the tenure of the current BCB board, forming an ad-hoc committee if deemed necessary, and postponing the election to set a fresh schedule.
Explaining the demands, Rafiqul said many prominent sports organizers are absent from the current election process and arrangements should be made so that they can participate. He described the Sports Adviser as the “guardian of Bangladesh’s sporting arena” and expressed confidence that an appropriate decision would be taken to protect cricket’s integrity.
The developments came as 16 candidates, including former national captain Tamim Iqbal, officially withdrew from the election race on Friday. When asked if all had made the same demands, Rafiqul replied that the concerns were being raised collectively in the greater interest of cricket.
He also noted that due to a court order suspending councilorship of 15 clubs, players from those clubs had conveyed their worries about the future through the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) to Tamim.
Although the 16 candidates stepped back, the election commission had given until 12 pm Saturday for any objections to be submitted via email. Rafiqul suggested that if the timeframe was extended and the schedule revised, broader participation would be possible.
On whether withdrawing nominations was a mistake, Rafiqul said it was intended as a form of protest, but added there was still a way forward: “We want the election date extended and rescheduled so that it does not become questionable.”
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