ESPNcricinfo understands that an incident between Faruque and Fahim took place on December 30, the opening day of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). ESPNcricinfo has learned that communication between Faruque and Fahim has been limited since November, although it has been just the two of them who have shaped most aspects of the BCB since joining the board. Many of the BCB directors, including former president Nazmul Hassan, have been missing since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5.
“I haven’t been able to contribute as much as I wanted to,” Fahim said Ekattor TV. “I should have given more input. I have spent 40-45 years in cricket. I wanted to energize the cricket board. We are not talking about things as much as we used to. The president thinks his decisions are good for the I personally think he should know certain things but I don’t know, I am the BPL secretary but I don’t know many things about the tournament later I couldn’t give my input.
“The constitution of the BCB allows the president to make unilateral decisions and then report to the board. He will have the opportunity to make those decisions, but because there are many around him, it would be more dynamic if he discussed things with others . I think a big barrier is the lack of standing committees. It’s an important limiting factor in our work during the last four months.”
Fahim said he had been thinking about stepping down as director for some time. He said he could have been useful as the board’s chairman of cricket operations, adding that he even conveyed his wish to sports adviser Asif Mahmud.
“I’ve told a few others that I [feel like quitting]”, he said. “There was opportunity to work properly. This is not happening. The board president and I came to the board because we kept the spirit of the student protests going. I think since cricket operations is such an important department, one of us should be in charge.
“I would have recommended our chairman of the board as chairman of cricket operations, if he was not the chairman. I think we have no other option left. I think I have the ability to run the department. I have told the [sports] ministry that if I do not understand this [department]I will be very hurt. It seems to me that we are not doing the right thing.”
Fahim said so too Jamuna TV in a separate interview that Faruque had made “comments” about him. “I don’t want to mention the comment specifically, but I was disappointed,” Fahim said. “He also commented on me yesterday, in front of the councilors and managers of the [sports] ministry It surprised me. However, it was clear that the chairman of the board does not trust me. We are both new members as councillors, so I don’t know how far this comment is about me.
“I think it’s better if I’m not on the board. The things I can discuss outside the board about what should happen and what shouldn’t happen, I can’t do on the board. If I can’t work on the board. a the board, I’m better off the board. It’s very important to work freely.”
Faruque said on Sunday that he was confident he could resolve the situation after discussing the matter with Fahim. “If there is any dissatisfaction, the sooner we deal with it, the better,” he said. “We’re both new directors. We’re doing most of the work, so there can be a bit of miscommunication. Sometimes I’ve had to make decisions quickly, so I haven’t been able to inform everyone. I’ve had a discussion with him [Fahim]. We can solve the problem.”
Faruque added that he had told the board directors to refrain from commenting on the Bangladesh men’s team as he believes it distracts the team and puts pressure on them. Faruque, despite being a former Bangladesh captain, has given limited insight into the team’s issues during his reign as chairman. It is a far cry from Nazmul Hassan’s time as BCB president, during which he openly and regularly criticized the Bangladesh team.
“I want to make very few comments about the Bangladesh team,” Faruque said. “Talking too much about the team creates an unhealthy situation. Our common goal is the country and the Bangladesh team. Everything else becomes easy to solve if you keep that in mind. The rest are personal matters. I hope these incidents do.” It won’t happen in the future, there will be dissatisfaction, but we won’t let it become a major issue.”
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo’s Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84
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