The Bangladesh Cricket Board has begun the process of removing M Nazmul Islam from his post as chairman of the finance committee, bowing to mounting pressure after an unprecedented player boycott brought the BPL to a halt on Thursday.
Nazmul will remain a board director, but the move marks the biggest internal shake-up the BCB has faced in years, triggered entirely by his explosive remarks about national cricketers.
According to senior board officials, the decision was taken in an emergency online meeting after the first match of the day could not be played. Players from Chittagong Royals and Noakhali Express refused to enter the field, acting on a call from the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), which had announced a total boycott until Nazmul was removed.
The standoff escalated less than 24 hours after Nazmul delivered yet another outburst against cricketers, this time questioning why the board should compensate players if Bangladesh ends up skipping the T20 World Cup in India over security concerns. His argument was simple and incendiary: if players perform poorly, the board doesn’t demand its money back, so players have no right to seek compensation now.
His words struck a nerve across the cricket fraternity and united players in a way the board had not anticipated.
Nazmul’s outbursts push board into crisis
Nazmul has been a lightning rod for weeks. Earlier, he publicly labelled former captain Tamim Iqbal an “Indian agent” during the debate over Bangladesh’s refusal to play the World Cup in India. CWAB demanded an apology. Instead, Nazmul doubled down.
On Wednesday, after a prayer event held at the BCB, he again lashed out at players, brushing off the idea of compensation if Bangladesh skips the World Cup. “If they can’t do anything and play badly, we spend crores on them. Do we ask for that money back?” he said.
He followed up by insisting the board, not the players, will determine whether Bangladesh goes to the World Cup: “The squad is not made by asking anyone. Whoever is finalised will go.”
The comments reignited anger among players already anxious about the World Cup uncertainty and wary of being scapegoated.
By Thursday morning, CWAB issued its strongest stance in years: no cricket, of any form, until Nazmul resigns. When Nazmul refused, the players followed through.
BPL match abandoned, board scrambles
The BPL’s morning fixture never started. Players refused to warm up. Team officials privately acknowledged they had no leverage over their squads.
The board then launched a frantic round of negotiations with CWAB, but players reportedly refused to compromise without a clear, formal decision on Nazmul.
At 3:30pm, a senior BCB official admitted the board had begun “moving to relieve Nazmul as finance chairman.” The admission came only after it became clear that the BPL could not resume without a concession.
CWAB, however, has demanded more. They want Nazmul removed as a board director, not just demoted. But the BCB’s constitution gives it limited authority. A director cannot be dismissed unless he resigns, is declared mentally unfit, is convicted on death row or is found to hold dual identities. None applies to Nazmul.
The board appears to be buying time, hoping demotion will be enough to end the boycott.