Aminul Islam, Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) newly appointed president, has shown intent to use his brief tenure as the chief to its full advantage for cricket’s growth in the country. Elected by the Board Directors on Friday in a meeting in Dhaka, Aminul is looking to apply experience drawn from decades of cricket administration across the globe. Bangladesh’s former captain was, until now, working as an ICC Development Manager in Melbourne and made a return to the country after his predecessor, Faruque Ahmed, was ousted by Bangladesh’s sports ministry a day earlier.
It is understood that Aminul has taken leave from his role with the ICC and has also clarified that no strict timeframe binds his return to Bangladesh cricket.
“I have been elected as the BCB president, but it’s not for three months,” he said. “As you know that I have worked in the ICC, where I learned a lot of things in management. They willingly told me to work for my country, so I am thankful to them. I don’t have any deal with the ICC that I will be away for two or three months. I will work here (as BCB president) based on my needs. There’s no time frame.”
The newly appointed president compared his tenure to a brisk T20 innings.
“Tests are of five days, ODIs are seven hours. I am here to play a quick T20 innings. One that you will remember. I want to make the statement that cricket is for everyone.”
Reportedly, Aminul, who was approached by the sports ministry last month regarding this role, will oversee the lead-up to the next Board elections. He has plenty of experience working with both Associate and Full Member nations, which he believes equips him with the necessary toolkit for doing his job.
“My skillset is a package,” he said. “I have worked in places like India and Pakistan, as well as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. I want to bring my experience from the Associate world [to the BCB], to do things like decentralisation of Bangladesh cricket. I will try to bring a young guy from a village to mainstream cricket with the confidence and belief.”
“Our first priority is to spread cricket around the country. It was our promise to the ICC when we got the Test status in 2000. We will have regional cricket bodies. The framework is ready, and we will discuss it at the board. We will have a countrywide robust coaching system. We will try to bring competitiveness in every level of cricket to bring natural, raw talent.”
Internally, Aminul wants to ensure greater collaboration among the board’s directors, while also keeping financial transparency on his agenda, which he plans to achieve by appointing a Chief Financial Officer for the board.
“I don’t have to work as hard [as a coach], but I will have to give directions,” Aminul said. “I will have the help of the experienced directors. I will know more about cricket in Bangladesh, not just Bangladesh cricket. We are a team. I want to use everyone’s energy and experience to go forward. I believe that a cricket nation does well when it works together.”
“We want to appoint a CFO, and keep our financial transactions as transparent as possible. BCB’s earning is for cricket; it is for the boy or girl who will be born after ten years. We want to use our funds in a better way. End of the day, we will definitely investigate [financial misappropriations],” he added.
