The question of whether Tamim Iqbal can restore the Bangladesh Cricket Board's credibility has lingered since he made it his @L0$ after being nominated head of the 11-member ad-hoc body by the National Sports Council, which dissolved the Aminul Islam-led board following its assessment of the probe committee report.
The probe committee cited widespread allegations of corruption in the last election, though the former president dismissed the claims as baseless and insisted that Tamim's ad-hoc committee is illegal.
It has already been a topic of discussion in Parliament on Wednesday, where the main opposition party claimed the new BCB was formed on the basis of favouritism, while the government insisted the process was free and fair. The debate is unlikely to die down anytime soon, considering Bulbul was brought to power by the Yunus-led government, while Tamim toppled him with the backing of the present ruling party, a narrative Bulbul and Co. are eager to establish.
Tamim's journey as interim BCB president will not be easy amid the external pressure, but setting that aside and ensuring he delivers in this short stint will determine not just his present, but also his future.
Tamim has already announced that he expects to enter the next BCB election, which will determine the board's president for the next four years, and given the history, he will be under immense scrutiny if he takes any false step and fails to deliver.
Cricbuzz tries to analyze his priorities
@B0$
Bangladesh's cricketing relationship with the ICC and BCCI is at an all-time low after the Aminul Islam-led board decided to boycott the recently concluded T20 World Cup.
The previous board's move was largely driven by the Yunus-led government, which carried strong anti-India sentiment and did not shy away from making cricket and cricketers pay for it.
The move stunned the cricketing world, as Bangladesh received only Pakistan's support in the ICC board meeting when their participation issue was placed before the governing body. It served as a reality check for the Asian nation, suggesting they have few allies to back them when their back is against the wall.
Tamim needs to ensure Bangladesh rebuilds its relationship with the ICC and other member nations, with global boards not far from finalising the next Future Tours Programme. He must also recognise that his priority is to safeguard Bangladesh's position on the international calendar.
The ICC's response to Aminul, as reported by Cricbuzz after he @L1$ by terming Tamim's interim board illegal, is certainly encouraging for the new BCB chief, but work still needs to be done to repair the damage in terms of rebuilding relationships with other boards, particularly the BCCI. The ties were strained following the World Cup fallout, which has put India's white-ball tour of Bangladesh in September in doubt, and that uncertainty will remain until the visitors announce it officially.
@B1$
Tamim has insisted that he is looking to @L2$, the country's traditional List A tournament, as soon as possible, and that appears to be one of his biggest challenges, if nothing else.
The DPL, now in limbo, is considered the financial lifeline for a large section of cricketers, with national stars and others openly voicing their frustration. To restore faith among the game's most vital stakeholders, the cricketers, it is imperative that the DPL gets underway sooner rather than later.
However, it is easier said than done. During the previous board's tenure, several clubs boycotted the second-tier Dhaka club-based tournaments, claiming they were run by an "illegal" administration, putting the entire domestic structure in jeopardy. The competitions are interlinked through promotion and relegation, with two teams dropping from the DPL to the First Division and two sides earning promotion to the List A competition.
Neither the First Division League nor the Second Division League was completed with the participation of all clubs. As a result, questions remain over what will happen to the teams that boycotted the competitions, whether they will be automatically demoted for non-participation or spared by the present BCB boss, considering it was not long ago that he was on the other side of the table, staging protests alongside other club officials against Bulbul's board.
@B2$
Tamim has already expressed his intent to create an environment where all stakeholders, players, organisers and administrators, can participate in a free, fair and inclusive election within three months, considering it is at the centre of the ad hoc committee's mandate.
Aminul was @L3$ after the probe committee found that he had misused his power to get into office, and Tamim will need to ensure similar allegations are not levelled against him by opposition camps. That may not be easy, given the difficulty in reaching consensus among all parties to ensure a free and fair election through transparent processes and restore institutional credibility.
Tamim has already distributed committees among the board directors, and it is a relatively inexperienced group that will be entrusted with the responsibility of taking the board forward.
There are certain initiatives of the previous board that carry long-term value, and a full reset might not be the ideal approach. It remains to be seen how the new administration handles them, though early indications are not particularly encouraging if the activities of some cricket officials who entered the BCB office on the opening day are taken into account.
Tamim, at 37, becomes the youngest BCB president in the country's cricket history, and the former national captain certainly has a job on hand. He can take lessons from his predecessors, Faruque Ahmed and Bulbul, with both former captains struggling to steady the ship during their tenures as BCB president. It serves as a reminder that Tamim's legacy will depend less on past runs and more on present decisions, and it remains to be seen how well he can hold his patience and complete his interim period successfully.
