Former Bangladesh captain Minhajul Abedin is set to take a powerful new role in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) soon. Actually, the final candidate list was released on May 25, and Minhajul Abedin is all but confirmed to become a BCB director in the upcoming BCB elections.
The former Bangladesh skipper has been involved with cricket administration for many years after retirement. Minhajul has already worked with the national selection panel for over a decade and also served as Bangladesh’s chief selector.
Because of his long experience inside the system, he is now seen as a key figure within the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Minhajul is currently part of the BCB’s ad-hoc committee as well.
Minhajul Abedin set for powerful new BCB role
The BCB Election Commission announced the final list of candidates and confirmed that only two candidates remain from the Chattogram division in Category 1 after Shariful Islam pulled out of the election race. Since there are two director posts available from the division, both Minhajul Abedin and Moin Uddin Chowdhury are expected to become directors unopposed.
After this development, Minhajul Abedin said that he feels proud to get the opportunity to work as a BCB director. He also admitted that the responsibility will now become much bigger for him. The former Bangladesh captain is also excited to share all the experience he has gained over the years to help the game grow further in the region and country.
Minhajul Abedin promises to revive Chattogram cricket after becoming Bangladesh Cricket Board director
Minhajul was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz: “It’s a great privilege to join BCB as a director but along with that my responsibility increased a lot. After retirement I joined the board and worked in different capacities and now will try to share those experiences in the board room. Since I am from Chattogram, I will try to revive Chattogram’s cricket. Regional cricket first started in Chattogram and we will try to revive regional cricket again.”
Meanwhile, the BCB Election Commission has confirmed that the elections are scheduled to take place on June 7, but voting will now happen only in a few divisions where multiple candidates are still in the race.
BCB elections to take place only in Khulna and Barishal
In Category 1, elections will only be held in the Khulna and Barishal divisions. In Khulna, three candidates — Shafiqul Alam, Shantanu Islam, and Mohammad Abdus Salam — are fighting for two available director seats. On the other hand, Barishal will witness a direct battle between Muntasir Alam Chowdhury and Mizanur Rahman for one position.
Several other candidates have already been elected unopposed. From the Dhaka division, Syed Bin Osman and S M Abdullah Al Fuad have secured the director position, while Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury has been selected from Sylhet. On the other hand, Mirza Masud Amin and Mir Shakrul Alam Simanto will represent Rangpur and Rajshahi, respectively.
Sirajuddin Mohammad Alamgir also became the director automatically from Category 3 after being the only candidate in that section. However, Lutfur Rahman from Legends of Rupganj and Mahmudur Rahman from Old Dhaka Cricketers pulled out from the Dhaka club category.
Tamim Iqbal among the big names fighting for director posts in the Dhaka club category
Now, 16 candidates are still fighting for 12 director positions in Category 2. Some of the biggest names in the race include former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal, along with representatives from famous clubs like Abahani Limited, Mohammedan Sporting Club, Shinepukur Cricket Club, Uttara Cricket Club, and several other Dhaka-based teams.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board consists of 25 directors in total. Out of them, 12 directors come from Dhaka clubs, 10 are selected from regional divisions and districts, one represents former cricketers and organizations, while the remaining two are nominated by the National Sports Council. After the election process ends on June 7, the newly elected directors will later choose the next BCB president.