When Faruque Ahmed took charge as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) last month, following Nazmul Hassan’s resignation, he became the first president of the board to have played any competitive cricket.
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Having featured in seven ODIs between 1988 and 1999, and leading Bangladesh in the ICC Trophy in 1994, Ahmed also served as the chairman of the national selection committee for a long period of time. Regarded highly by the fraternity, Ahmed believes in ‘leading by example’ and putting the players’ interests first.
Ahead of Bangladesh’s tour of India, Ahmed spoke to Sportstar on his targets as the president of the BCB and also shared his thoughts on building a cordial relationship with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Q. What are the targets that you have set for yourself?
A: This is something that’s very much related to my work. I have been a player, then went to become the chairman of the national selection committee, and now this new role offers wider scope. There are lots (of things) to be done. I am not blaming anyone, but over the last 10 to 15 years, we have failed to address a lot of issues that required attention. So, I plan to work on the all-round development of Bangladesh cricket, starting from the grassroots.
While we need to work harder with the senior national team, the focus has to be at the grassroots. And, to ensure that we have things in place, it is a must to have more well-equipped grounds. Since we play a lot of cricket these days - right from the school level - the number of grounds need to increase, otherwise we will not be able to accommodate so many fixtures. If we can’t improve our infrastructure, our progress will be restricted to a certain point and that’s not what we want.
Ahmed said the BCB had failed to address several issues over the last 10 to 15 years. | Photo Credit: BCB
So, we are working hard to get more grounds and also improve our umpiring standards across levels. Another important target is to create a pool of local talented coaches, who can be at the helm of various teams. The system hasn’t been structured so far, and going forward, we need to produce more local coaches so that players can understand their language and can communicate better. These are finer points, but we need to work on these core areas to help the game grow further in this part of the world.
Look at the way India has developed its cricketing structure to become one of the finest teams in the world; it needed a lot of hard work. We also want to focus on those areas. Things won’t change overnight, but with the right intention, we can make things happen.
Q. You spoke about having more local coaches in the set-up. So, in the future, do we see a former Bangladesh cricketer at the helm of the national team as the head coach?
A: Yes, the idea is to involve more and more former cricketers in the set-up. Even if we don’t get them at the head coach role right away, we should look at involving them in some capacity with the national team. In the High Performance centre, our local coaches are already working hard with the overseas coaches, and the same needs to be done with the national teams as well. We should definitely bring in former Bangladesh cricketers as assistant coaches or spin bowling coaches, going forward. We have some very good talents, and it’s important that we encourage them to be part of the system.
Q. Soon after taking over as the president of the BCB last month, you said that the Board needs to find someone better than Chandika Hathurusinghe as Bangladesh coach. Has that stance changed after the team’s historic Test series win against Pakistan?
A: We are closing in on another important series against India, and now the team should remain stress free and play their natural game. But let me make it clear that I have not changed my stance and I don’t want to assess anyone going by a particular series.
For me, it’s about looking at someone’s performance during his tenure. Chandika has been with the team for a while, and there have been quite a few unsuccessful campaigns - including abysmal performances in the ODI and T20 World Cups. We will assess his tenure and it’s not just about coaching, there are other parameters as well. We need to see the team environment, look at his behaviour with senior and junior players and then make a decision. But this is not the right time. We will do the assessment and take a call on his future before our home season begins.
Q. Yesterday, you had a meeting with the senior cricketers ahead of the India tour. Interestingly, even Tamim Iqbal was part of that meeting. Do we see Iqbal back into the system? If yes, in what capacity?
A: Tamim needs to decide whether he wants to continue as a player or he wants to take up a different role. He has done so much for Bangladesh cricket, and it would be wonderful to get him involved in the BCB. If he decides to retire, then as the head of the Board, I would like to see him in a new role so that he can give it back to the game. With his vast experience, Tamim will be able to help our cricket grow.
Tamim had come to meet me yesterday, and we discussed with all the players about the road ahead in terms of domestic cricket. I go back a long way with all these players, and since most of them made their international debut during my tenure as the chairman of the selection committee, I’m close to all of them. So, it was a fruitful discussion. I have told Tamim that he is in that phase of life where he needs to make a decision about his future. If he is fit, then why not!
But if he does not want to continue as a player, I’ll definitely ask him to work for the betterment and development of cricket with the BCB.
Q. Over the years, the BCB has shared a rapport with the BCCI. In the changing political scenario, do you think it’s also a challenge for you to maintain that strong relationship with the Indian cricket board?
A: I had a fruitful discussion with the officials of the BCCI during the ACC meeting in Kuala Lumpur recently and secretary Jay Shah invited me for the first Test in Chennai. Even though I have some prior commitments, I am trying to see if I can visit Chennai for a couple of days to watch the game and also meet the BCCI officials. Some of the BCB directors will be there in India, and we are looking forward to more conversations with the BCCI.
I also had discussions with the top officials of Pakistan and Sri Lanka cricket boards, and with so many international events lined up over the next few months, we hope to work together.
Q. Amid security concerns ahead of the second Test in Kanpur, following a threat by the Hindu Mahasabha to protest outside the stadium against the alleged violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, have you spoken to the BCCI regarding the issue?
A: Yes, I spoke to Shah and he has assured me of providing the highest security to the team. Since it’s a bilateral series, it’s also easier for the Boards to beef up security as compared to a world event where multiple teams are involved. So, the BCCI has given us the assurance, and at this point in time, we are happy with the conversations we had with the Board officials. The team is flying out to Chennai in a couple of days and we are not planning to send any additional security cover from our end.
Q. Bangladesh missed out on hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup due to security concerns. What’s the road ahead in terms of hosting ICC events?
A: The major reason behind shifting the tournament out of Bangladesh was due to the travel ban imposed by the authorities. We still have the hosting rights and we will be hosting the tournament, jointly with the Emirates Cricket Board. The situation was challenging in the country, and things were beyond our control as there was also a travel ban from a few countries. So, we could not do much. But hopefully, going forward, there won’t be any problems in hosting international tournaments.
Q. You spoke about Tamim Iqbal and how you would want him to be part of the BCB if he decides to hang up his boots. But there seems to be ambiguity over the future of Shakib Al Hasan, too. Have you spoken to him about future plans?
A: He is currently featuring in county cricket for Surrey, so he had already taken permission from the Board even before I took over as the president. Shakib is mature enough to take a call on his future and he is still one of the best players in the world, and just like Tamim, he needs to decide the future course of action. I’m sure he will consult with us before finalising anything.
But for now, he has conveyed to us that he wants to play in all three formats.
Q. Bangladesh is likely to undergo a transition phase over the next couple of years once the seniors move on. How do you plan to handle this phase?
A: Every team in the world goes through such a phase, but if you have a pool of talent, then things should be fine. Once Muttiah Muralitharan or Shane Warne bowed out, their teams struggled, but eventually, things were back in shape. So, the onus is on us to produce quality cricketers. Shakib is a special player, who is a star all-rounder and it’s difficult to find an alternative for him right away. So, there will be some sort of a struggle once this bunch of senior players retires, but we need to find suitable youngsters, who we can use as replacements.
The seniors are slowly phasing out and we don’t want to push them to take any decision. As long as the player can deliver, age should not be the only factor. So, till the time he decides to play and can fit into our scheme of things, we will be happy to have his service.
Q. Over the last few years, some of the franchise leagues - including the IPL - have struggled to deal with Bangladesh players due to the BCB’s contradictory policy of issuing No Objection Certificate to players. While the players suffered due to this indecisiveness, the Board’s reputation also took a hit. How do you plan to address this issue, going forward?
A: We will try to iron out the issues and ensure that no one of the parties suffers. All of us are aware of the FTP now, and also there’s a specific window for the IPL, so if we plan properly, we can easily avoid any clashes. In the past, there were instances when players had to miss out on the IPL or other contracts due to the Board’s indecisiveness. But I will definitely address this issue so that we can avoid such situations.
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