Bangladesh cricket hit another flashpoint on Thursday in Dhaka when sports adviser Asif Nazrul publicly condemned comments made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam, comments that triggered a player boycott and forced the board to remove him from all activities.
Nazmul’s remarks about national cricketers lit the fuse. Players responded by demanding his resignation and boycotting all forms of cricket, a move that stopped play on the opening day of the BPL’s Dhaka phase.
The BCB confirmed the decision in a statement on Thursday, saying it had removed Nazmul from his roles after reviewing recent events. The board acted as pressure mounted from players, fans and the wider cricket community.
Asif Nazrul did not mince words. “We stood up as a whole Bangladesh because one Mustafiz was insulted. And here, from a responsible position in the BCB, he made insulting comments about the entire cricketing community,” he said, placing this row firmly in a wider pattern of unrest.
Nazrul pushed harder. “This is unwanted and irresponsible. It is very regrettable,” he added, before reminding everyone that this remained an internal BCB matter and saying he hoped the board would take action. The board did exactly that hours later.
This storm arrived on top of an already heated backdrop. The fallout from Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL exclusion had stirred national anger, with the BCB even refusing to travel to India for the World Cup, a dispute still unresolved.
Nazmul reignited tensions on Wednesday when he spoke to the media and made pointed comments about players. The reaction proved immediate and brutal, with cricketers pulling the plug on all cricketing activity.
Players made their position clear again at a press conference at Hotel Sheraton. They said they would return to the field only if Nazmul resigned fully from his BCB roles.
The BCB responded through official channels. It said the president had removed Nazmul from the post of finance committee chairman with immediate effect under Article 31 of the constitution, and that Aminul Islam Bulbul would act as interim chair.
The board also struck a conciliatory tone. It reiterated that players’ interests remained its top priority and stressed its commitment to protecting their dignity and respect.
