Nazmul Hassan agrees to resign as BCB President amid calls for reforms

In a huge development for Bangladesh cricket, Nazmul Hassan is preparing to resign as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Hassan is currently in his fourth stint as BCB president and is seen as the most powerful man on the board.

Ever since the start of the political turmoil in Bangladesh which led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to leave the country, Nazmul Hassan has been reportedly staying in London with his wife.

Nazmul Hassan has been a powerful political figure and a cricket administrator in the country for a long time. Hassan has been a member of the parliament of the Kishoreganj-6 constituency from Awami League since the year 2009.

However, the recent political turmoil in the country forced him to leave the country and save his life. Hassan was one of those members who had the backing of the Ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Since August 5, many other board directors, who have the backing from Sheikh Hasina, have also gone missing.

Also read: Women's T20 World Cup 2024 most likely heading to UAE; BCB requests more time

Nazmul Hassan set to resign from the post of BCB President

A few directors who remained in the capital city of Dhaka held a meeting on August 14 to decide their next move. On the other hand, several BCB officials gathered at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka and called for Nazmul Hassan and his team to step down from his role.

"One of our directors is in touch with him and, according to him, Papon bhai is ready to cooperate (with the government) and is also prepared to quit from the President's post to bring reform in the board,” a BCB director was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Asif Mahmud meets BCB officials

Meanwhile, Asif Mahmud, who is the Sports Advisor on an interim basis, met with the BCB officials in order to appoint a president on an interim basis. The tenure of the current board is set to end in October next year but the situation in the country is forcing them to resign now.

The board members are also concerned about the effects of resignation just before the Women's T20 World Cup 2024, which will be hosted by Bangladesh in October 2024.

It is also believed that the BCB has hired a legal team that will find ways to run the board without the presence of several members by reviewing the guidelines. There has been constant communication between the legal team and the interim government officials regarding any updates on plans.

Nazmul Hassan's long tenure as BCB President

Nazmul Hassan's tenure as BCB president started in 2012 when the Bangladesh government appointed him for the role. His tenure has been full of controversies apart from a few success stories.

During his tenure, Bangladesh became a solid team in ODIs as they defeated top teams like Pakistan, India, and South Africa. They defeated all these teams in 2015 at home. In 2015, Bangladesh also defeated England to qualify for the ODI World Cup quarter-finals for the first time ever.

However, he has been also criticized for making dressing room secrets public on several occasions. Hassan also criticized Shakib Al Hasan once for threatening to quit ODIs and Tests and also questioned his commitment to the team.