Ousted Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam has categorically rejected the government’s decision to dissolve his elected committee, branding the move a “constitutional coup” and urgently appealing to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to intervene against what he described as “state interference.”
In a strongly worded statement released hours after the National Sports Council (NSC) ousted his administration on Tuesday, Aminul denied all allegations of corruption and vote-rigging during the October 2025 board elections.
He dismissed the government’s investigation as legally void and politically motivated, calling it a vendetta initiated by State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque.
The NSC dissolved the board earlier in the day, citing an investigation that reportedly uncovered widespread electoral fraud, coerced electronic voting and illegal interference allegedly orchestrated by former Sports Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain under the previous interim administration.
The council also appointed former national captain Tamim Iqbal to lead an 11-member ad-hoc committee mandated to oversee daily operations and organise fresh elections within three months.
Refusing to recognise the ad-hoc body, Aminul defended the integrity of the October polls. He stated that the election was transparently conducted by a legitimate three-member commission, which included a Supreme Court lawyer and the chief of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
He asserted that all electoral objections — including those concerning specific clubs and Tamim’s councillorship — were resolved through quasi-judicial hearings.
Aminul accused certain former players with political ambitions of fabricating allegations of election-fixing to destabilise the board.
“The National Sports Council has absolutely no authority to investigate a concluded electoral process of an autonomous, self-governing federation like the BCB,” he said, arguing that the dissolution violates the NSC’s own ordinances.
He warned that the government’s actions could create a “black hole of governance,” threatening player development, sponsorships and international investment in Bangladesh cricket.
Aminul maintained that he remains the sole legitimate BCB president unless and until the High Court rules otherwise.
The standoff sets the stage for a potential clash with cricket’s global governing body. While NSC officials have expressed confidence that the ICC would endorse the ad-hoc committee, the abrupt dissolution risks triggering the council’s strict regulations against government interference — a violation that could result in the suspension of a national federation.
The bureaucratic manoeuvre also unfolds against a delicate geopolitical backdrop. The ICC is currently chaired by Jay Shah, a prominent figure in Indian sports administration. Concurrently, the Prof Muhammad Yunus-led interim government — under which the 2025 BCB elections were held — had maintained a critical stance toward New Delhi for sheltering ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following the 2024 mass uprising.
Aminul’s direct appeal to the ICC ensures that the global body will be compelled to evaluate the legality of the NSC’s intervention amid these intersecting political tensions.
