'The cricket board is not immune to corruption'

Corruption within the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been a subject of media reports at various times. Despite these reports, the board, under Nazmul Hassan Papon's leadership, continued to operate largely unaffected.

However, following the recent change in government, there is now significant discussion and scrutiny regarding the corruption that has persisted for 12 years. The newly elected BCB President, Faruque Ahmed, acknowledged the existence of corruption and irregularities within the board.

Faruque was appointed as the BCB President on Wednesday, after Nazmul Hassan Papon resigned, with Faruque being nominated by the National Sports Council (NSC). Just hours after his appointment, Faruque addressed a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

During the long conference, he had to answer several questions regarding corruption within the BCB. He openly admitted that over the past 12 years, corruption and irregularities had grown so rampant that the board had turned into a "Frankenstein's monster."

Faruque acknowledged that it is impossible to eradicate such long-standing corruption overnight. However, he made it clear that his priority, from day one, is to reduce corruption within the board. He further emphasized that corruption exists across all sectors in Bangladesh, and the cricket board is no exception.

He said, "Corruption exists in every sector in Bangladesh, and the cricket board is not immune. I will certainly focus on this, aiming to reduce corruption in the future. I don't know how long my tenure will be, but for as long as I remain, I will ensure close monitoring of these issues."

Faruque resigned from his position as chief selector in 2016 and had not been involved in the board's activities since then. However, he is well aware of the irregularities that have occurred within the BCB during his absence. Faruque said, "There have been many irregularities, and I know of them. It's not possible to fix everything in one day.

It has been going on for 12 years and has now turned into a Frankenstein's monster. It can't be resolved immediately. But I will make sure that nothing happens that directly affects cricket."

Faruque has no immediate plans to remove any directors from the board who are facing allegations of corruption. Instead, he intends to investigate the accusations against them. He also noted the shortage of manpower after 15 directors distanced themselves from BCB operations following the change in government.

Faruque said, "There is no need to point fingers. Those who are here should not have their work made more difficult. We cannot authorize the restructuring of the current cricket board."

"We had 25 people, now we have 8 or 9. We need some manpower to get the work done. We will try to recruit a few directors according to the constitution. We also need to assess the credibility of the allegations against those under scrutiny. Of the 9 people still involved, we'll make decisions based on their skills. We'll need expert help to combat corruption effectively. We'll see how we move forward with this," he added.