Faruque wants to 'take the country's cricket forward'

Nazmul Hasan Papon has finally resigned from his position as the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). This marks the end of his long tenure of over a decade. Faruk Ahmed has now taken over as the 15th President of the BCB. The former national team captain and ex-chief selector will now handle the most significant responsibility in the country's cricket. This is the first time an international cricketer has become the board president.

This decision was announced today, Wednesday, after an emergency meeting of the BCB directors organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. However, Nazmul Hasan Papon did not attend the meeting even virtually. Since the fall of the Awami League government, most BCB directors have been seen less frequently in public. Some are reported to be abroad, and the president himself is also out of the country. Nazmul Hasan submitted his resignation via email during the BCB board meeting.

Faruk Ahmed was elected as the new president by the directors present at the meeting, following his nomination from the Sports Council. Cricket analyst Nazmul Abedin Fahim was nominated as a director from the Sports Council. Faruk Ahmed is the first international cricketer to hold the position of BCB President. He initially became a director after the resignation of Jalal Yunus, who was a nominated councilor of the NSC. Later, Faruk Ahmed was elected president through a vote.

At 58 years old, Faruk Ahmed has played 7 One-Day Internationals for Bangladesh. He served as the chief selector of the Bangladesh team from 2003 to 2007 and was reappointed for a second term in 2013, though he stepped down in 2016.

Faruk Ahmed, taking on his new role at the BCB, stated, "The goals are very high. We aim to enhance the country's image and also see the team (national team) reach a significant place. This is a big deal. We need to work in many areas. As you know, there have been many questions regarding the work done over time. My primary responsibility is to advance cricket and the country. If we keep this in mind, it will make our tasks easier. We must not divert our focus. We want to advance the Bangladesh cricket team and Bangladesh as a nation."