In a move that has sent ripples through the cricket community, Faruque Ahmed, the newly appointed chief of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has leveled serious allegations of corruption against his predecessor, Nazmul Hasan. Ahmed, who took over the reins from Hasan, made the startling accusations during his first board meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Thursday, August 30.
Addressing reporters, Ahmed announced his intention to bring in an independent audit firm from among the top four in the country to scrutinize the BCB’s financial records. This decision, he stated, was necessary to uncover any irregularities that may have occurred over the past years under Hasan’s leadership.
“We will appoint an independent audit firm from amongst the top four in the country,” Faruque announced. “The decision was taken to find out the irregularities. If anything happened over the years, it will be unearthed after the audit. The Anti Corruption Commission will come into act if any irregularities are found. There was some corruption in the board. I cannot deny it and everyone knows about it.”
Ahmed’s bold declaration of an impending audit follows his concerns over unpublicized reviews and reports, including a crucial review of the Bangladesh cricket team’s performance in the ODI World Cup 2023. These documents, compiled during Hasan’s tenure, have not been made accessible to the public or the current board members.
“There is a report of the last World Cup while there are some reports of the past that haven’t come to light. I told the CEO that I want to see them and will make a decision after seeing the report,” Ahmed revealed. “This is totally logical to make it public, and I want to bring it in front of the people because I am not part of it. There is no problem in revealing it, and I want to disclose it to the world.”
The freshly-minted BCB chief’s transparency initiative aims to foster accountability within the organization. Significantly, Ahmed’s stance on transparency does not shy away from potential controversies.
Ahmed did not stop at addressing financial irregularities.
. He also broached the subject of the incumbent men’s team head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. Ahmed has previously voiced his dissent against Hathurusingha but clarified that he would not take any hasty decisions that could destabilize the team during their ongoing tour.
“I am the president of the board and so I don’t want to do anything that makes me look autocratic. I don’t want to be a dictator,” Ahmed asserted. “We have talked about Hathurusingha. We’ll consider the case just as we handled Shakib’s case. I said that we don’t want to do anything in between a Test series.”
Ahmed emphasized the necessity of cohesion within the team while making decisions relating to coaching staff and management. “We are now in the middle of the tour. As a president, you can take any decision but we have to think of not disturbing the team. We are discussing it, what can be done with Hathurusingha, and will try to take everyone’s opinion. It is like an investigation, we will take a good look at how much damage has been done to Bangladesh cricket during his tenure and then will take a decision. You can see something in the near future,” he said.
Ahmed’s tenure in BCB is kicking off with an unambiguous message: accountability and transparency are paramount. His public commitment to investigating past corruption allegations and making all withheld documents accessible indicates a potential shift in the board’s handling of internal affairs. With promises of an independent audit and a balanced evaluation of coaching impacts, Ahmed is setting a new tone for the BCB.
Reports of the past, which were hidden from public view, are now under the scrutiny of a vigilant new leadership determined to reevaluate and possibly redefine governance in Bangladeshi cricket. As the cricketing world watches closely, Faruque Ahmed’s first moves as BCB chief have already sparked intense debate and widespread attention. How these proposed audits and reviews will play out could significantly influence the future of Bangladesh cricket.
