SPORTS REPORTER

A new Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections were held just eight months after the previous one and, as widely expected, Tamim Iqbal was elected unopposed as board president by the newly formed panel of directors on Sunday.

In his first press conference after being elected, Tamim pledged to make the board more transparent and less controversial, while acknowledging the challenges that lie ahead during his four-year term.

The former Bangladesh captain placed particular emphasis on respecting cricketers and safeguarding the interests of the game.

“Many difficult paths will come ahead. We will make mistakes, we will learn from mistakes, we will do the right things -- that is what we should do, and that is what we will do. But no sacrifice will be made regarding cricket. Players will be given as much respect as they deserve -- not only current cricketers, but all ex-cricketers, every stakeholder in Bangladesh cricket will be respected,” Tamim said, adding that he cannot fix things alone.

The elections came amid renewed debate over governance within Bangladesh cricket. The previous BCB elections had been overshadowed by allegations of outside interference. This time, questions were raised over the political alignments that shaped the composition of the new board, leading to criticism and labels such as “father’s blessing cricket board” ahead of the June 7 polls.

Asked about those criticisms, Tamim responded with a touch of humour.

“Yes, many kinds of tags are being given. That is definitely their personal opinion. Let’s see, maybe we can do something beyond ‘father’s blessing’ and actually turn it into ‘cricket’s blessing’ in the future,” he said.

The new president stressed that maintaining transparency and avoiding controversy would be among the board’s priorities.

“I hope we can be as transparent as possible. Because I am sure I do not want any of my board members to do anything that makes us controversial. From my side and from the whole board’s side, we can say we will try to act with full honesty,” he said.

Tamim received the highest number of votes in Category 2, securing 73 of 76 votes from Dhaka-based club councillors. Fahim Sinha, who received 66 votes, was nominated as the sole vice-president.

Among the other notable winners, Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed and Israfil Khasru secured 72 votes each, while Mohammedan councillor Masuduzzaman received 70 votes. Former NSC-nominated director Yasir Mohammad Foysal Ashiq was elected with 68 votes.

Shanian Taneem Navin, Sakib Ahmed Salam, Asif Rabbani, Mirza Yasir Abbas, Md Rafiqul Islam Babu and Prof Dr Sarker Mahbub Ahmed Shamim also secured places on the board through Category 2.

In the divisional elections, Mohammad Shafiqul Alam and Shantanu Islam were elected from Khulna after both secured 10 votes, while Mohammad Mizanur Rahman won the Barishal seat with five of seven votes.

Eight directors had already been elected unopposed before polling.

While controversy has once again accompanied a BCB election, the focus now shifts to whether Tamim’s administration can move beyond the noise and deliver on its promises of transparency, accountability and putting cricket first.