Top priority is to take country’s cricket forward: Faruque

Newly elected Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president
Faruque Ahmed said his first and foremost task would be to take the country’s
cricket forward.

“The goal is big. We have to work together to take the country’s cricket
forward,” he said here today while addressing the media.

“We have to work in many areas. As you know the work has been done for a long
time but there are many questions. We have to address those issues. We want
to move forward as a country and as a cricketing nation. The task would be
easier if we consider ourselves as a team and if we give our team a top
priority without prioritizing the individuals. Let’s not be diverted,” he
added.

Faruque Ahmed is the first former cricketer to be elected as board president
after Nazmul Hassan Papon stepped down from his post in an emergency meeting
today.

Eight board directors were present in the meeting, held at the conference
room of the Youth and Sports Ministry. Faruque Ahmed and Nazmul Abedin Fahim
replaced Jalal Yunus and Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby as the NSC nominated
directors for the Cricket Board.

As Papon resigned from his role, the directors who present in the meeting,
exercised their vote to elect Faruque as the president as per BCB
constitution.

Faruque, also a former skipper, who led the side in the ICC trophy in 1994,
served BCB as the chief selector twice -firstly from 2003-2007. During his
first tenure, he unleashed the cricketing talents like Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim
Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, who made the Bangladesh cricket a giant.

He later served the board as chief selector again in 2013-2016 but resigned
from his post after the then BCB president Papon formed a two-tier selection
panel that gave the head coach Chandika Hathurusingha an unnecessary power to
interfere in selection process.

Faruque vowed that he will give everyone the freedom to work independently
after his bitter experience in the board. But at the same time, he cautioned
that everyone will be questionable for their work.

“I can assure you that I won’t interfere in anyone’s work. But every one will
be under tight scrutiny for what they have done. We will give everyone time
for a bigger success but if not the success comes, you have to be responsible
for this. As a president I can give some suggestion but that’s not that the
concerned person will have to value it,” he added.

“I want the cricket team to brighten the image of the country. Let’s not just
stick with small things. We have to plan for a bigger goal. I can’t change
everything overnight. I even don’t know how long I will be here. But cricket
will be first priority.”

Faruque said he want to build a system through which there will be no scope
to do any corruption.

“I resigned from the BCB, protesting about the corrupted system. We’ll look
after that but you can’t uproot the corruption practice in overnight. We have
to build a system, we have to execute a plan through which there will be no
opportunity to do any corruption.”

Asked where he wants to see Bangladesh cricket as per ICC rankings, Faruque
said, “As I said earlier, I want cricket to stand tall. It’s not that I will
happy with a sudden success. If we play five tight matches and then win sixth
and seventh matches, I will consider it success.” (BSS)