Bangladesh cricket in crisis amid Mustafizur Rahman row: BCB sacks director M Nazmul Islam after players boycott BPL match

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Nazmul Islam was sacked on Thursday and relieved of all responsibilities of the board, including his position as head of the finance committee, amid demands from cricketers.

Following a review of recent developments and in the best interest of the organisation, the BCB president has decided to release Najmul Islam from his responsibilities as chairman of the finance committee with immediate effect, a media release by BCB informed.

The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The Board remains fully committed to upholding the honour and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction, the BCB further said in the release.

This came after the first Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match of the day, scheduled to begin at 1:00pm local time, was cancelled as the teams did not turn up at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur for the game.

Players demanded resignation from Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director M Nazmul Islam over his controversial remarks made in public against the countrys cricketers.

The players threatened to boycott all cricket unless Islam resigned.

The furore started after Najmul, while reiterating Bangladeshs refusal to travel to India for next months T20 World Cup, rejected concerns surrounding player remuneration should the country withdraw.

He stated that the players would not be compensated as they have not justified the support so far.

There will be no loss for the Bangladesh Cricket Board [if we dont take part in the World Cup] as the loss will be for the players, Najmul said, as cited by Circbuzz. Up to 2027, our revenue will not be hampered because in the 2022 ICC financial meeting, this was already fixed. Future World Cups or future bilateral or international events may have relevance, for example whether teams will come to us under the FTP. Those are valid questions. But this World Cup does not affect that.

Najmul also rejected the idea of compensating players if Bangladesh pulls out. Why [should we compensate?] If they go somewhere and cannot do anything, then the crores of Taka we spend behind them, do we ask for that money back from them? Do we? Answer me, he said. He added that players would find it difficult to survive without the board.

BCB has refused to travel to India due to security concerns after the BCCI instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman from its 2026 roster amid tense relations between the two countries. The International Cricket Council is reluctant to change to shift Bangladeshs games out of India but BCB remains adamant.

Najmul has previously courted controversy with claims that Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal was an Indian agent. The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) was “stunned, shocked and outraged” by Najmuls rant against Tamim, saying it was “utterly condemnable” to label a former national team captain — who represented the country for 16 years — in such words

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