Faruque Ahmed鈥檚 tenure as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board has been shrouded in uncertainty after a group of board directors submitted a formal no-confidence letter to the ministry of youth and sports on Thursday, following reports suggesting that Faruque had been asked to resign.
However, Faruque remained adamant that he would not resign, as he claimed that he had not been given any reason to do so.
Faruque confirmed to reporters on Thursday that he had been summoned by the youth and sports affairs adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan and was asked to resign.
鈥楴o, I鈥檓 not resigning. There鈥檚 no reason for me to resign at the moment. They haven鈥檛 given me any explanation, so why should I step down?鈥� said Faruque, who came in at the helm after the ousting of the Awami League government last August.
Meanwhile, in the letter sent to the ministry, accusing Faruque of autocratic leadership, constitutional violations, financial mismanagement, and links to controversial individuals, the directors asked for the immediate removal of him from the BCB.
The signatories include Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Mahbubul Anam, Kazi Enam Ahmed, Fahim Sinha, Salahuddin Chowdhury, Iftekhar Rahman, Saifur Alam Swapan Chowdhury, and Manjur Alam.
Fahim and Faruque both joined the BCB administration following the facilitation of their appointments by the National Sports Council.
The directors, including Fahim, claimed in the letter that Faruque had taken unilateral decisions without consulting board members or committees, most notably in the dismissal of the head coach of the national team, Chandika Hathurusingha, in October last year.
They said that such decisions violate Clause 14(b) of the BCB constitution, which requires board approval for hiring or firing coaches.
They also accused Faruque of 鈥榟ijacking the board鈥� and turning it into a 鈥榦ne-man show鈥� and fostering a toxic culture of fear, favouritism, and interference in both national team operations and club-level cricket.
The letter also highlighted allegations of financial impropriety, including awarding the management of the Bangladesh Premier League to a company owned by a BCB director without open tender.
The directors claimed that this not only breaches procurement rules but also raises questions about conflict of interest.
Additionally, they claimed Faruque appointed unqualified and controversial individuals鈥攕ome with alleged criminal backgrounds鈥攖o key positions in cricket operations.
The directors pointed to the Bangladesh national team鈥檚 fall to 10th place in the ICC rankings as evidence of Faruque鈥檚 failed leadership.
They also criticised his inaction on longstanding demands for a white paper investigating corruption during previous regimes and his reluctance to implement constitutional reforms.
鈥楬e is neither working for the development of Bangladesh cricket nor respecting the spirit of democratic governance,鈥� said the directors.
This revolt coincided with the rise of former Bangladesh captain and current ICC development officer Aminul Islam as a potential successor to Faruque.
Aminul, who scored a hundred in the country鈥檚 inaugural Test against India, reportedly arrived in Dhaka earlier this week and held discussions with top government officials. He said that he was asked to take a particular role in the BCB.
