Former Bangladesh captain and the country’s most successful opener, Tamim Iqbal, has been labelled an “Indian dalal” by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Nazmul Islam in a controversial social media post. Nazmul, who is also the chairman of the board’s finance committee, made the remark on his personal Facebook account.
The comment was directed at Tamim following his remarks to the media on Thursday regarding the BCB’s decision not to travel to India for the upcoming World Cup. Sharing a photo card of Tamim’s comments, Nazmul wrote: “This time, the people have witnessed the emergence of yet another proven Indian dalal with their own eyes.”
The post remained online for several hours before being deleted late at night, after drawing strong criticism across social media platforms.
Cricketing relations between Bangladesh and India have been tense since last Saturday, following Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the Indian Premier League and Bangladesh’s subsequent decision not to tour India for next month’s World Cup. Tamim addressed the ongoing situation while speaking at the trophy and jersey unveiling ceremony of the Zia Inter-University Cricket Tournament at the City Club ground in Mirpur.
Asked what decision he would have taken had he been part of the BCB, Tamim said he would have prioritised the long-term future of Bangladesh cricket.
“Mustafizur being removed from the IPL is certainly unfortunate, there is no doubt about that,” he said.
“If I were on the board, I would take a decision by considering the country’s future and all related aspects. Making a sudden comment is complicated. But it must be remembered that many issues can be resolved through discussion. I would decide after thinking about Bangladesh’s position in world cricket and what its future could be.”
There has been speculation for some time that the BCB’s firm stance against travelling to India was taken under government instruction. Several media reports, quoting board officials on condition of anonymity, have suggested that such a hardline position was not initially planned, but that government intervention ultimately influenced the decision.
Tamim’s comments appeared to echo that view.
“We consider the Bangladesh Cricket Board to be an independent body. Of course, the government is a very important stakeholder and discussions with the government are necessary. But since they are an independent body, they must also have their own decisions. If they believe a decision is right, they should take it,” he said.
“There will always be many opinions. But if you try to account for every opinion, you cannot run such a big organisation.”
Tamim stressed the importance of balancing emotion with cricketing realities.
“Like everyone else, Bangladesh cricket’s interests come first for me. But you have to think about the future as well. If you look at it closely, 90 to 95 per cent of our revenue comes from the ICC. Taking everything into account, the decision should be one that supports Bangladesh cricket,” he added.
It was these comments, shared in the form of a photo card, that prompted Nazmul Islam’s now-deleted post.
Nazmul was elected as a councillor from the club category on 6 October, securing 37 votes as a representative of Talent Hunt Cricket Academy. He was appointed chairman of the BCB’s finance committee at the board meeting the following day.
That election process was itself controversial. Numerous questions were raised, with repeated allegations that the then sports adviser exerted significant influence. Tamim Iqbal withdrew his nomination, citing “election fixing”, while 21 candidates pulled out alleging “blatant government interference” and various “irregularities and arbitrariness”. Even before voting began, nine individuals were widely reported to have been assured of director positions.
