Tamim Iqbal takes charge of BCB after Bangladesh government dissolves board amid ‘gross irregularities’

Former Bangladesh captain and dashing opener Tamim Iqbal has returned to his country’s cricket setup as the new BCB president after the Bangladesh government dissolved its cricket board over ‘gross irregularities’ in the board election last year. A five-member investigation committee recommended sweeping changes within the cricket board after looking into allegations levelled against BCB’s elections, won by Aminul Islam Bulbul, the country’s first Test centurion, who captained Bangladesh in their maiden World Cup appearance in 1999.

Meanwhile, Tamim, 37, will be the youngest BCB president and lead an 11-member ad hoc committee, which is now required to hold an election within three months.

"An independent committee under the National Sports Council has found gross irregularities in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) election held in 2025," Aminul Ehsan, director of sports at the government body, told reporters on Tuesday.

The committee said that a "significant number of irregularities took place" during the BCB election in October, which was won by former national captain Aminul Islam Bulbul. He temporarily took over as the BCB president in March 2025 before being elected unopposed for a four-year term in October.

However, Ehsan said a letter had been sent to the International Cricket Council "stating that a decision has been made to dissolve the BCB committee".

Tamim scored more than 15,000 runs for Bangladesh in a career spanning 15 years, and remains the only Bangladeshi to score hundreds in all formats of international cricket.

The decision to dissolve the board comes ahead of a "goodwill visit" to India by Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman to rebuild frosty diplomatic relations.

Cricket, a sport beloved by both nations, added to bitter divisions after Bangladesh refused to take part in the World Cup in India in February, citing security concerns. Dhaka made that decision after Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was told to leave his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, amid reports of communal tensions and online protests regarding the treatment of minorities, with Bangladesh saying the scale of the violence was exaggerated.

Meanwhile, Bulbul was at the forefront of Bangladesh's decision not to play, saying at the time that "the dignity and security" of the country's cricketers was the board's priority.

(With inputs from AFP)