Former Bangladesh cricket captain Tamim Iqbal has withdrawn his nomination from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election, confirming earlier speculations.
He was not alone; several other heavyweight candidates also pulled out, citing allegations of government interference.
Speaking to journalists at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Tamim said, “Around 14 to 15 of us have withdrawn our nominations. The reason is very clear. There’s no need for me to go into details. It is now evident how this election is being conducted. Decisions are being made arbitrarily whenever and however it seems convenient. This is not an election in any true sense, and it has no place in cricket.”
Among those who withdrew alongside Tamim are BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed’s son Saeed Ibrahim, BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury’s son Israfil Khasru, and BNP leader Mirza Abbas’s son Mirza Yasir Abbas. Tamim stated that many other prominent candidates have also stepped aside.
He added, “Those who withdrew are all heavyweights with strong vote banks. This is a form of protest. At the end of the day, we cannot be part of this corruption. Bangladesh cricket does not deserve this. Those who want to conduct the election this way may proceed, but cricket has undoubtedly lost. There’s no doubt about it. People talk about stopping match-fixing in Bangladesh, but first, they should think about stopping election-fixing. This election will remain a dark mark on Bangladesh cricket.”
Rafiqul Islam, who also intended to contest for a director’s post from Indira Road Club, confirmed his withdrawal and said, “We wanted a competitive election. We witnessed one in 2005, and we hoped for a similar process. The discussions about an agreement turned out to be baseless, and no reliable information was provided.”
As of the latest update, a total of 11 candidates have withdrawn from the BCB election. From Category 1, Mir Helal and Siraj Uddin Alomgir withdrew, while from Category 2, Tamim Iqbal, Saeed Ibrahim, Israfil Khasru, Rafiqul Islam Babu, Borhanul Pappu, Masuduzzaman, Asif Rabbani, Mirza Yasir Abbas, and Sabbir Ahmed Rubel have withdrawn.
The final list of candidates is scheduled to be announced by the Election Commission at 2:00 PM today.
