Bangladesh Cricket Board Elections on Track Despite Constitution Review, Official Says

Bangladesh's Youth and Sports Advisor, Asif Mahmud, addressed concerns regarding the upcoming Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections. While acknowledging the ongoing process of revising the BCB constitution, he stated that there are currently no plans to postpone the elections, which are scheduled for October.

BCB elections are still set for October © BCB

Earlier this year, on January 25, the BCB suspended all activities of the previous constitution reform committee, led by director Nazmul Abedin, following criticism.

The National Sports Council (NSC) established a committee on June 24 to formulate recommendations for updating the constitutions and affiliation policies of federations under its purview.

According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Youth and Sports on June 24, the committee is headed by the Additional Secretary (Sports-1) of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The committee comprises:

• Md. Zobaidur Rahman Rana, sports organizer
• Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Majumdar, Deputy Press Secretary
• Barrister Shaikh Mahadi, Bangladesh Supreme Court
• Retired Lieutenant Colonel Abu Ayub Mohammad Hasan
• Habibur Rahman, Vice President of the Bangladesh Wushu Federation
• General Secretary of the Gymnastics Federation
• The Director (Sports) of the National Sports Council (Member Secretary)

The committee is required to submit its report to the Ministry within 30 working days. The order was issued in the public interest.

"We are working on the process of changing the constitution," Asif told reporters. He emphasized the importance of a balanced approach to decentralization, ensuring that no stakeholders are negatively impacted. "The decentralization should be done in such a way that it causes no harm to any stakeholders... We want to change the constitution through a constitutional process and proper stakeholders' consultation," he stated.

However, the Youth and Sports Advisor also suggested that the election timeline could be influenced by the constitution amendment process. "It [BCB election] depends on the process, whether it will be earlier or later," he clarified.

Despite this possibility, Asif Mahmud reiterated the current stance: "So far there is no reason to delay the election. We can't say at this moment what the situation will be in October... but we may talk to the ICC if needed."

He concluded, "We want to conduct the election on time."