New Delhi, May 30 (IANS) Former national team captain Aminul Islam has been elected President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), replacing Faruque Ahmed, who was ousted after a no-confidence motion and a series of controversies during his short tenure.

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the decision was made at a board meeting in Dhaka on Friday, barely 24 hours after Faruque lost his place as one of the sports ministry’s representatives on the BCB board. The move automatically disqualified him from holding the president’s post.

Aminul Islam, who led Bangladesh in their 1999 World Cup debut and famously scored the country’s first Test century in 2000, steps into the role at a turbulent time for the board. He has taken leave from his position as ICC development manager in Melbourne to serve as BCB chief.

Aminul will remain president until the next board elections, expected by October this year.

Faruque’s removal was initiated after eight BCB directors submitted a no-confidence motion against him, which, combined with the findings of a fact-finding committee on alleged corruption in the BPL, prompted the sports ministry to act. One of the signatories was Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, who was also the other representative from the ministry on the board.

The turmoil comes just nine months after Faruque was appointed BCB president on August 21, 2024, replacing Nazmul Hassan, who had resigned from the post and his role as the sports minister. Faruque’s time in office, however, was marred by controversies, especially surrounding his handling of head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe’s dismissal and the 2025 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

As per ESPNcricinfo, Faruque questioned Hathurusinghe’s role on his very first day in charge and then sacked him within two months — a move that allegedly violated the BCB constitution by not consulting board directors. His unilateral decisions created rifts within the board, particularly with Fahim.

The final straw came during the BPL. Durbar Rajshahi, one of the franchises, failed to pay players on time and even left hotel bills unpaid in Chattogram and Dhaka. This triggered a player protest and forced government intervention.

The controversy reportedly embarrassed the interim government and drew the attention of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the head of the interim government, who had taken an active interest in the BPL.

In total, Faruque lasted nine months and eight days as president.

–IANS

hs/bsk/