New Delhi: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sacked its finance committee chairperson M. Najmul Islam for his objectionable comments, after cricketers boycotted a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match.
An emergency meeting was held, wherein, the BCB said, that the decision to remove Najmul was taken by Board president Aminul Islam Bulbul, and added that it would come into effect immediately.
“The decision has been taken in accordance with the authority vested in the BCB President under Article 31 of the BCB Constitution and is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the Board’s affairs,” the BCB said in a statement.
Bulbul will serve as the acting president for now, the English-language daily The Daily Star reported.
This decision was taken soon after no teams turned up Thursday at Dhaka’s Shere Bangla National Stadium for the BPL match between Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express.
The controversy comes close in the heels of the Bangladesh cricket team refusing to travel to India for the T20 World Cup matches due to security concerns, a fallout after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release fast-medium bowler Mustafizur Rahman from its 2026 squad.
Even though the BCB issued a show-cause notice to Najmul for his derogatory comments on Bangladesh cricketers, it seemingly wasn’t enough to calm down the players.
The Bangladesh cricketers were enraged after Najmul made the comments at a press conference Wednesday suggesting that despite the Board spending large sums of money, it never demands a refund when the team fails to perform. He went on to say that if Bangladesh were to withdraw from the T20 World Cup, the Board was under no obligation to support or compensate the players.
At the press conference, Najmul was asked about the possible financial impact on Bangladesh if the team were to skip the T20 World Cup. He had replied that the Board would not suffer any losses and that only the players would be affected, adding that they would not be compensated if they missed the tournament.
“Why [would there be]? Are we asking them for the crores and crores of taka that we are spending on them? Answer me first. We are spending so much money on them, they are not being able to do anything in different places. Have we got any international awards? What have we done at any level? Let us now ask them for the money back after every time they couldn’t play. Give us back. Why should there even be a question of compensating the players?” he said.
Soon after, angry Bangladesh cricketers sent an ultimatum to Najmul demanding his resignation by Thursday afternoon. They further warned that all sporting activities would be suspended if he did not step down.
Cricketers’ Organisation of Bangladesh (COAB) president Mohammad Mithun was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune that the decision was taken in protest against Najmul’s controversial comments about national cricketers.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the BCB had released a statement distancing itself from the comments, calling them his personal views.
The Board expressed regret for statements that may have been inappropriate, offensive, or hurtful. “Such comments do not reflect the values, principles, or official position of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, nor do they align with the standards of conduct expected from individuals entrusted with the responsibility of serving Bangladesh cricket,” it said.
The BCB said that it would take appropriate disciplinary action against anyone whose conduct or comments disrespect players or damage the reputation and integrity of Bangladesh cricket.
This is the second time in less than a week that Najmul has drawn negative attention for his controversial remarks against cricketers. Earlier in the week, he targeted former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal in a Facebook post after Iqbal requested the BCB to rethink its stand on the T20 World Cup.
Tamim had vouched for dialogue featuring Bangladesh, the BCCI and the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the tournament’s venue. “Bangladesh cricket’s interest, future and everything else must be considered before making such a decision,” Tamim had said, urging for a resolution to be found through dialogue.
Najmul responded by labelling Iqbal an “Indian agent.” Later, the BCB official had defended his remark despite facing backlash from a wide section of the people at large. “I just expressed my personal views. I think in a situation like this, we are thinking about money and not the country. I do not have anything against Tamim. I would have said this about anyone else. Tamim’s comments were in line with India’s propaganda, and I did not like it,” he told Sports24.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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