Bangladesh cricket in turmoil

Few phrases better describe the turmoil engulfing Bangladesh cricket — a turmoil that continues to deeply wound genuine lovers of the game across the country.

Under the leadership of former national captain Aminul Islam Bulbul, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appears mired in both internal discord and external pressure. Growing concern suggests that if this path persists, the sport itself could emerge as the biggest casualty in a cricket-obsessed nation.

Missing out on the World Cup is only one dimension of the crisis. Domestic cricket remains largely stalled. Although the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) reached its conclusion, it did so amid controversy. As the tournament wrapped up, allegations of match-fixing surfaced, adding another troubling chapter to an expanding catalogue of irregularities. In the wake of these allegations, BCB director Muhammad Mukhlesur Rahman stepped down as audit committee chairman, while a franchise adviser publicly aired further fixing claims via Facebook Live — further eroding public confidence.

The instability deepened after Saturday’s board meeting, when influential director Ishtiaque Sadeque resigned, with speculation rife that others may follow. Disputes with the board president and unresolved personal rifts among directors are no longer confined behind closed doors, but have become matters of public knowledge.

At the same time, controversial figures continue to re-emerge. M Najmul Islam, previously removed as finance committee chairman for making derogatory remarks about players during protests, was reinstated after the BPL — a move that has only highlighted the widening gap between the board and the players. Long-running stagnation and disputes in Dhaka club cricket have now reached a critical point. With Bangladesh excluded from the T20 World Cup — scheduled in Sri Lanka and India from February 7 — there is no clarity on the next domestic calendar. Even Rajshahi Warriors captain and Test skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto publicly expressed frustration, admitting he had no idea when his team would play next.

With cricket in disarray both domestically and internationally, organisers appear rudderless, unable to outline a coherent way forward. In what many view as an attempt to deflect attention from failure, the BCB has floated the dramatic idea of bringing back the country’s most successful cricketer, Shakib Al Hasan, who is currently in exile. To many observers, the proposal lacks logic and feels like a desperate, ill-conceived distraction from the fallout of the World Cup exclusion.

This goes beyond the disappointment of missing a global tournament. Bangladesh cricket may be navigating the most fragile phase in its history. Resilience, in such times, only has meaning when anchored in a clear mission and vision — qualities that currently appear absent.

BCB president Bulbul said on Thursday, after meeting players and Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul, that the board “will keep on fighting” to ensure Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup. Yet when the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland on Saturday, the BCB confirmed it had accepted the decision and would take no further steps.

“We are not going into any separate arbitration or any other process,” the board said — a statement that starkly underscores the lack of a defined roadmap.

Bangladesh cricket is, quite literally, struggling to stay afloat in a sea of sorrow — not only due to exclusion, but because a fight without purpose, clarity and vision rarely leads to recovery.