Nazmul Era is Likely to End: What’s Waiting for Bangladesh Cricket?

Bangladesh has been experiencing something that has never happened since its independence. The long tenor of the Awami League government, led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has ended through the revolution, and the whole nation is now going through massive changes everywhere. When the leadership change was seen in almost every national institution, the same for the leading position of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was not unexpected!

In the meantime, different sources have reported that Nazmul Hossain Papon, the current president of BCB, has shown his willingness to resign. Thus, it is evident that the twelve-year-long Nazmul Hossain Papon era will end soon. So, what’s going to happen next? How did he lead Bangladesh cricket during these years, and what may happen after his departure?  Let’s explore some insights!

Why Is Papon Going To Resign Before His Tenure Ends?

Nazmul Hasan Papon became the president of BCB in 2012. Since then, he has served three consecutive terms in this role and was last renewed in 2021. He was expected to continue it for four years and end this term in 2025. However, things didn’t go as everyone thought.

The sudden fall of Bangladesh’s government on 5 August this year, led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has changed the scenario of every sector of the country since the resignation didn’t happen smoothly but rather through an extreme movement of students and citizens. After that, there were resignations, both willingly or forced, everywhere. It was thus inevitable that there would be a replacement BCB head, too. 

However, Mr. Nazmul Hasan was also the minister of Sports of the former government, and immediately after the fall of the government, every minister, member of parliament, and other closely related. It was also reported that Nazmul Hasan Papon didn’t join his office at BCB, and there was no trace of him.

When the interim government has imposed forced retirement of the personnel of different institutes, any such activity on BCB may create an adverse effect initiated by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Therefore, his willful resignation was expected. It is good that he has informed about his willingness to retire from the position, which has now removed the chance of any embargo being imposed by the ICC.

How Was Bangladesh Cricket During The Nazmul Hossain Period?

As Bangladesh will soon start with a new leader, let’s recap the period of Nazmul Hossain and see how these days were for Bangladesh. Indeed, Bangladesh cricket couldn’t improve as expected, and the liability is not to be enforced on a single person. After the resignation of Lotus Kamal and the beginning of Nazmul Hossain Papon, Bangladesh cricket has shown many signs of improvement in different mega events.

During his period, Bangladesh played in the quarter-final stage of the ODI World Cup for the first time in history, back in 2015. Bangladesh also played in the Semifinal of the Champions Trophy in his period. If luck favored a bit, Bangladesh could have won the Asia Cup Title in 2012 and the Nidhas Trophy in 2018, as Bangladesh lost the finals by the closest margin.

During an interview, Mashrafe, the former captain of Bangladesh, said that Nazmul Hossain Papon is one of the few persons in BCB who listens to the players and sincerely cares for their betterment. The credit for winning the Under-19 World Cup and the Women’s Asia Cup Title cannot also be ignored.  The increase in BCB’s income is also one of his successes. In his time, the gymnasium’s standard was also improved, which helped the players work on their fitness.    

Yet many Bangladeshi cricket fans severely criticized him, and the reasons are not bogus. His central allegation was his dependency on the ruling political party and decision-making bias. Even after being widely accused, the poor condition of domestic cricket couldn’t be improved. With the enthusiasm of the people of Bangladesh about cricket, many more stadiums with international standards were expected to be established. He was also criticized for being too involved in cricket’s internal affairs.

Thus, his resignation has been welcomed by many, while cricket fans expect someone to lead Bangladesh cricket with much enthusiasm and without political biases.

What’s Next?

Several sources have reported that Faruque Ahmed, once BCB’s chief selector, will likely take charge as this organization’s next president! If he becomes the new leader, he will face several challenges. At this stage, anyone other than him will face the same for Bangladesh cricket. Let’s look at how things may get for BCB in the coming days.

Firstly, youth development should be the new president’s first challenge. Bangladeshi domestic cricket is often accused of match-fixing, which must be solved now to attract good cricketers to the national level.

Secondly, the focus must be given to every side, not just on the international tournaments of the men’s team. The ODI World Cup of women will likely start very soon, and Bangladesh will be one of the participants. After winning the Asia Cup, Bangladesh’s Women’s Cricket was expected to flourish massively, but this didn’t happen ultimately. It’s time to focus on improving Women’s cricket and treat them equally with men.

Thirdly, the recruitment of the coaching panel needs to be analyzed and corrected if necessary. After Haturu Singh’s appointment, many of his decisions were controversial, and some fans demanded his replacement. It’s time to review the recruitment and ensure the best output from every person related to this institution.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the performance in the international arena must be improved. Bangladesh achieved the ODI status and eligibility to play in the World Cup in the last century and gained the “Test status” before more than two decades. However, the performance of many other countries that have started playing lately is better than that of this country, which frustrates cricket fans. Overall improvement is needed to achieve the expected output, which may take some time.

Final Thoughts

The willingness of Nazmul Hasan Papon to resign is undoubtedly a good sign, as the transfer of responsibility is unlikely to cause chaos in the cricket board. Mr. Nazmul Hasan, as a cricket-loving person, is supposed to be remembered by the players who worked with him during this period casting aside his controversial political involvement with a fascist regime.

At the same time, the new president also requires support from all. Let’s see how Bangladesh’s cricket moves with the new leadership and how the country’s cricket fans react to the changed environment.