Ninety days. That is all the time Bangladesh cricket’s new custodians have to steady a ship that has been rocked by controversy, restore public faith in its governing body, and deliver an election credible enough to give the sport a clean start. It is a tight window for an enormous task and the men handed that responsibility know it.
The National Sports Council dissolved the previous Bangladesh Cricket Board following irregularities in its last election, handing control to an 11-member ad hoc committee led by former national captain Tamim Iqbal. The panel, which includes former directors Tanjil Chowdhury, Rofiqul Islam Babu and Fahim Sinha, has already formed its standing committees and begun work, with the clock ticking towards a handover to an elected board by the first week of July.
Speaking about his return to the board in a different role, standing committee’s age-group chairman Tanjil Chowdhury told Times of Bangladesh, “It feels a bit nostalgic because I’ve come back to the board after six years. Yesterday I told the president that I wanted to take a walk around the ground. I stood near the bridge and looked at the field, and it felt really good. I met many old colleagues again, even peons and cleaners I already knew. I shook hands with all of them. It feels like a homecoming.”
On being assigned the age-group role, Tanjil said he had expected something similar. “In our first meeting, it was said that responsibilities would be assigned based on individual strengths and expertise,” he said.
He also revealed that he had personally expressed his interest to Tamim. “I told the president that I want to be involved with the age-group level because that’s where my passion lies. He honoured that.”
With the committee’s limited tenure, Tanjil acknowledged the constraints. “Nothing major can be achieved in three months. We cannot make big capital expenditures, infrastructure changes or policy shifts as that would not be ethical,” he said.
He added that the focus would be on continuity and planning. “What we can do is provide observations and a roadmap that an elected board can implement. Previous boards have done planning work, and we will maintain that continuity while trying to improve it further.”
Another former director, Rofiqul Islam Babu, who has been given charge of the Grounds Committee, also expressed his satisfaction at returning to the board. “Alhamdulillah, it feels good to be back at the BCB. We will try to deliver a credible election. That is our main focus now,” he said.
He stressed that restoring the board’s image is equally important. “We want to bring back the BCB’s lost glory. Our reputation, both domestically and internationally, has taken a hit, and we will work to rebuild that and take cricket back to where it once was.”
Fahim Sinha, another former director who previously worked with the Bangladesh Premier League governing council, admitted that challenges remain despite his enthusiasm about returning.
“Returning to the board again is challenging, perhaps even more so this time. Taking charge after a board has been dissolved and steering things until the election is certainly a challenge. But we are hopeful of doing well,” Fahim said.
He added, “Our immediate priority is to ensure stability in cricket operations and create an environment where the transition to an elected board can take place smoothly.”
