Tamim Iqbal stepped into power as president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday after the National Sports Council tore down the existing board in Dhaka, but the move triggered chaos, criticism, and a brutal verdict from Aftab Ahmed, who labelled the entire episode a circus unfolding in plain sight on social media.
Aftab did not hold back. “With the level of circus going on in the cricket board, even if you spend 2000 taka on a ticket, it will not go to waste.” He turned governance failure into street-level language, and it landed. He did not exaggerate; the sequence of events made his point for him.
The day began with routine boardroom optics. Aminul Islam Bulbul and senior figures spoke about plans at Purbachal, projecting control. Hours later, the system collapsed under them.
The council dissolved the board without warning. It installed an 11-member ad-hoc committee under Tamim. That move did not just replace leadership; it ripped up continuity.
Aftab doubled down on the absurdity. “In Bangladesh, even if you do not want to know, the media will make sure you know. They will beat the drum so loudly that you cannot ignore it. I do not know how long this circus will continue. Cricket is no longer there. Only circus remains. I urge everyone to watch the circus.” He painted a picture of noise over substance. He accused the system of turning cricket into spectacle.
The composition of Tamim’s committee fuels that narrative. The panel includes political links, family ties, and regional clustering. That mix invites scrutiny, not stability.
Aftab then exposed a deeper contrast. “I have been in the United States for three years, and I do not even know where their cricket board is. Knowing who the members are is far beyond that. I work in cricket every day, yet I do not know where the board is. You may call it my failure, but that is the reality.” He pointed to a system where cricket runs quietly elsewhere. Bangladesh, by contrast, shouts its dysfunction.
