Bangladesh government appoints Tamim Iqbal as new BCB president

Tamim Iqbal is one of the finest batters to have played for Bangladesh. The 37-year-old becomes the youngest Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president after being appointed to the role by the nation's government.

On Tuesday, April 7, the Bangladesh government scrapped the Aminul Islam-led BCB board of directors. The decision was taken following the suggestions of the five-member investigation committee that looked into several allegations regarding the BCB's elections held in October last year. The committee shared its assessment on the BCB elections at the sports ministry

"As part of the National Sports Council's responsibility, we have informed the ICC that this board of directors was not formed in a proper manner, and is not able to complete its work in a proper manner," Mohammed Aminul Ahesan, the NSC sports director, was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We have informed the ICC our decision to dissolve this board of directors. The NSC plays an important role for Bangladesh cricket or any sport in Bangladesh and on behalf of the government. Therefore, we are optimistic about the BCB and we think that the ICC will definitely uphold this decision," he added.

Iqbal, the former Bangladesh captain, will be at the helm of an ad-hoc committee. A part of this committee is another ex-Bangladesh skipper Minhajul Abedin. Another high-profile name in the committee is that of former cricketer and TV commentator Athar Ali Khan. The other members are Rashna Imam, Mirza Yeasir Abbas, Syed Ibrahim Ahmed, Israfil Khasru, Tanjil Chowdhury, Salman Ispahani, Rafiqul Islam and Fahim Sinha.

On Sunday, Aminul had expressed his confidence in continuing in his role despite the pandemonium going on around the BCB. The government had questioned the validity of the last board election, Bangladesh's absence from the recent T20 World Cup, and allegations of political interference and favouritism within the BCB.

Four directors of the board had also resigned last week, taking the total number since January this year up to six.

Coming back to Iqbal, he retired from international cricket in January 2025 after playing 70 Tests, 243 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for his country. He amassed 5134, 8357, and 1758 runs in the three formats, respectively. He also led his team in all formats of the game.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh are preparing for an exciting white-ball series at home against New Zealand, starting later this month. The Tigers play three ODIs and three T20Is against the Black Caps between April 17 to May 2. Dhaka will host two ODIs and one T20I. Meanwhile, the other ODI and two T20Is will be held in Chattogram.