Former Bangladesh Cricket Board director Fahim Sinha has questioned comments made by current BCB director Asif Akbar, calling for minimum professional standards after remarks about the state minister sparked controversy in Dhaka, following new media restrictions at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The row began when the Bangladesh Cricket Board imposed fresh limits on journalists entering Mirpur without formal invitations, citing security concerns. The move triggered heavy criticism across the media landscape and forced a rapid rethink.
After taking oath as state minister for youth and sports, Aminul Haque publicly phoned the BCB chief executive and urged the board to withdraw the directive. That intervention cooled tensions, but it also set the stage for what followed.
On a television programme, Asif Akbar made remarks that widened the fallout. He said, “Journalists under the information ministry will come anyway. We check portfolios, who spreads rumours and who does useless work. We planned to call in the right people and seat them.” He then added, “Before we could do that, the finger-pointing incident involving Faruque bhai surfaced and the state minister came in with an order like a firecracker. Altogether, it turned into a complete mess.”
Sinha refused to speculate on intent but did not soften his stance. “I cannot say whether he spoke intentionally or not,” he said. “But people in responsible positions must choose their words carefully. An organisation like the BCB has a minimum standard. Once words are out, they are out.”
He also drew a clear line around the minister’s position. “Such comments about our state minister are completely unexpected,” Sinha said, before adding that this was not an isolated pattern. “We have heard many loose remarks from BCB directors before. I would request them to refrain from this.”
Sinha pushed the argument beyond personalities and into governance. He questioned whether such episodes appear anywhere else. “This has never happened in Bangladesh’s history,” he said. “I do not know of any civilised sporting nation where this happens. It should not happen, and it should never be normalised.”
The background to the restriction matters. On 31 January, the BCB formally instructed journalists not to visit Mirpur without official invitations, again citing security at the stadium and board offices. The statement followed the publication of photographs showing a heated exchange between directors Faruque Ahmed, Khaled Mashud Pilot and Najmul Islam, which sparked widespread debate.
