BCB’s newly elected president presents decentralisation plans

The Bangladesh Cricket Board BCB’s is about to embark on a new era under its newly appointed head, Aminul Islam Bulbul. Within a day of taking over, the former national captain unveiled a plan to decentralise cricket operations and restore the board’s credibility after a period of mismanagement.

Aminul’s appointment follows a difficult period in Bangladesh cricket. Faruque Ahmed, the previous BCB president, was fired over charges of administrative errors and financial mismanagement during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). A fact-finding group discovered widespread concerns, such as unpaid player payments and dependency on government assistance to repay debts. The crisis resulted in a vote of no-confidence against Ahmed by eight of the nine BCB directors selected by the National Sports Council.

“This is my first time seeing a board president give a presentation. It was based on his experience (working for the ICC). We’ve started four programmes. They are known as Protect the Spirit of the Game, High Performance for Everyone, Connect and Grow, and Transparency and Good Governance in All Areas. The president has stated that transparency must be the primary priority at the BCB.

“Decentralisation will begin immediately. We will establish offices in Rajshahi and Chattogram. These will be pilot programs. It’ll be like mini-BCBs. We are activating the existing plan. “We’ve been hearing about regional cricket since 2000,” BCB director Iftekhar Rahman Mithu told reporters after the meeting.

BCB’s newly elected president announces decentralisation plans: Iftikhar Rahman Mithu

During a four-hour board meeting, Aminul Islam shared his vision with BCB directors through a graphic presentation. His strategy is to prioritise two critical aspects: decentralisation and financial transparency. The BCB is initiating two pilot initiatives, called mini BCBs, in Rajshahi (North Bengal) and Chattogram (South). These hubs will serve as regional cricket centres, ensuring the grassroots development of players, coaches, umpires, and curators via structured talent development programs.

“We are immediately establishing these two test initiatives. One will be situated in Rajshahi (North Bengal), the other in the South, and it has long been a goal of ours to decentralise our operations–development of coaches, umpires, and curators will now take place through structured programs that begin with a talent hunt,” he added.

Saiful Alam Swapon Chowdhury will command the southern zone, while Salahuddin Chowdhury would be in charge of the northern operations. Aside from decentralisation, the board is also committed to franchise accountability. BPL teams have been asked to declare any pending player payments, and the BCB will only release monies after cross-verification with players.