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 was only these two who have called the shots in most aspects of the BCB since entering the board. Many of the BCB’s 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 told Ekattor TV. “I should have given more input. I have spent 40-45 years in cricket. I wanted to make the cricket board more dynamic. We are not talking about things as much as we used to. President believes that his decisions are good for the board. Personally I feel I should know certain things, but I don’t know about them. I am the member secretary of the BPL, but I don’t know many things about the tournament. I hear about them much later. I couldn’t give my input.
“The BCB’s constitution allows the president to take unilateral decisions and inform the board afterwards. He will have the opportunity to take such decisions but since there are many around him, it would be more dynamic if he discusses things with others. I think a huge barrier is the lack of standing committees. It is a major limiting factor in our work over the last four months.”
Fahim said he had been mulling quitting the director’s post for quite some time. He said he could have been useful as the board’s cricket operations chairman, adding that he even told the sports advisor Asif Mahmud of his desire.
“I have told a few others that I [feel like quitting],” he said. “There was opportunity to work properly. That isn’t happening. The board president and I came to the board because we held the spirit of the student protests. I feel that the cricket operations being such an important department, one of us should be in charge.
“I would have recommended our board president as the cricket operations chairman, if he wasn’t the president. I don’t think we have any other options left. I think I have the ability to run the department. I have told the [sports] ministry that if I don’t get this [department], I will be very hurt. It would seem to me that we are not doing the right thing.”
Fahim also told Jamuna TV in a separate interview that Faruque had made “comments” about him. “I don’t want to mention the comment specifically, but it disappointed me,” Fahim said. “He commented about me yesterday too, in front of board directors and officials from the [sports] ministry. I was stunned by it. It was however clear that the board president isn’t taking me in confidence. We are both new entrants as board directors so I don’t know how right he is making that comment about me.
“I think it is better if I am not in the board. The things I can discuss outside the board about what should and what shouldn’t happen, I can’t do that in the board. If I can’t work in the board, I am better off outside the board. It is very important to work with freedom.”
Faruque said on Sunday that he was confident he can solve the situation after discussing the matter with Fahim. “If there’s any dissatisfaction, the sooner we deal with it, the better,” he said. “We both are the new directors. We are doing most of the work, so there can be a bit of miscommunication. Sometimes I have had to take decisions quickly, so I couldn’t inform everyone. I have held a discussion with him [Fahim]. We can solve the matter.”
Faruque added that he had told board directors to refrain from commenting on the Bangladesh men’s team, since he feels it distracts the team and puts pressure on them. Faruque, despite being a former Bangladesh captain, has given limited insights on team matters during his reign as president. It is a far cry from Nazmul Hassan’s time as BCB president, during which he openly and regularly criticised 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 am hopeful that these incidents 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
