Former Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak resigned as a national selector to contest in the next month鈥檚 BCB board of directors elections, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Razzak, the country鈥檚 highest wicket-taker in first-class cricket, collected his nomination form from the Khulna Division. Later, the BCB confirmed his resignation in a press release.聽
Razzak joined the national selection panel in 2021 following his retirement from professional cricket.聽
鈥業 had the honour of playing for the National Team for 14 years and had the privilege of serving as a national selector for over four years,鈥� Razzak was quoted in the press release sent by the BCB.聽
鈥業 believe the time has come for me to step down from this position to explore the possibilities of contributing to the game that has given me so much, on a larger scale if the opportunity presents itself. I feel this is the right thing to do,鈥� he added.聽
The chairman of the national selection panel, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, expressed his gratitude to Razzak.聽
He said, 鈥楬e was an invaluable member of the panel and brought his undoubted experience and vision to the selection process. We thank him for his contribution and wish him the very best for the future, which we hope will remain closely connected with Bangladesh cricket.鈥�
Razzak later said that his resignation was evident as he decided to contest the BCB election.聽
鈥榊ou can鈥檛 hold on to two decisions at the same time. If I was considering contesting the election, I had to resign. So, when I decided that, yes, I wanted to do this, resignation came naturally. That鈥檚 why I submitted it,鈥� he told the reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.聽
He also admitted that the decision wasn鈥檛 an easy for him.聽
鈥業t鈥檚 hard to say that I hadn鈥檛 thought about it at all, but it鈥檚 also not true that I made the decision just today. It was something I had been weighing for a while, considering what would be the best course of action,鈥� he said.聽
On his decision to contest the election, Razzak said that it鈥檚 time to take another step forward.聽
鈥業 have played cricket for a long time and tried to contribute to the game. Then I served as a selector and did that job with honesty. Now, it feels like the right time to take another step forward and continue doing something positive for cricket.鈥�
鈥楾here鈥檚 no pressure. Since it鈥檚 for the Khulna Division, the people there wanted me to run, which made the decision easier. Of course, since it鈥檚 an election, I have to be mentally prepared to contest, but I鈥檓 not feeling pressured,鈥� he added.
Apart from Razzak, the current board president, Aminul Islam Bulbul, former board president Faruque Ahmed, and former captains Tamim Iqbal and Khaled Masud Pilot were among the former cricketers who collected nomination papers.
According to the election commission, 60 nomination forms were collected across three categories 鈥� 25 in Category 1, 32 in Category 2, and three in Category 3.聽
Among the current BCB directors, Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Manjur Alam, Iftekhar Rahman, Mohammad Salahuddin Chowdhury, and Fahim Sinha also collected nomination papers.聽
A total of 23 directors will be elected via the corresponding councillors鈥� votes on October 6, while two directors will be nominated by the National Sports Council.聽
The elected directors will then elect the next president of the board.