Former Bangladesh Cricket Board president Saber Hossain Chowdhury hinted at making an attempt to return to the Board when it will go for an election later this year.
Saber made his intention clear when he bought more than half of the shares of first division club Baridhara Dazzlers (formerly Young Pegasus Club) that paved the way for him to become a councillor.
The tenure of the present BCB board of directors will expire in November prompting many cricket organisers to make preparation for an election behind the curtain.
A recent amendment to the BCB constitution proposed an election for all posts including the president’s in line with the recommendation of International Cricket Council.
The amendment which is waiting for the approval of National Sports Council will see for the first time the BCB president will be elected by the councillors instead of being nominated by the government.
Saber, a ruling party lawmaker, who had to leave the BCB after his party lost the general election in 2001, could be the supreme beneficiary of the amendment if he can maintain the same relationship he had with the councillors during his term from 1997 to 2001.
The door of the BCB was shut for him despite his party returned to power in 2009 as he had already strained his relationship with the party high-ups. Hence an election for the president post remained his only option to return to where he had contributed so much as an organiser.
‘I always had a mental involvement with cricket even though I was not in the board. Perhaps physically I was not with any team or was not seen very often in the field but in terms of interest and engagement it was always there,’ Saber told New Age in a recent interview.
‘An area where I really want to work is development. Hunting new talents, doing an academy that will provide them with special coaching. This club is a link between the two,’ said Saber, who held the position of development committee chairman during his term as the BCB president.
Saber hailed the current BCB directors for their efforts to take the game forward, but he at the same felt there are more works needed to be done.
‘They have worked hard no doubt but there is always scope to do more. If you look at the cricket board the continuity of development work is not seen all the time,’ he said.
‘We had taken a decision to construct a stadium in Cox Bazar in 2000 and the same thing applies in case of regional cricket association. But after 12 years we are still implementing it.
‘One of the reasons for this is after the political change at the national level some changes also comes in the board and so the continuity in the board activities is hampered which is unfortunate. I think the administration should run on its own and the work plan that they take should be implemented irrespective of the change of the government.
‘Why could we not implement the decision that we had taken 12 years back? Why do we have to talk about it now as if it is nothing new? I think the board should particularly focus on this area,’ he said.
Saber claimed that the idea of an election for the president’s post is also not new.
‘Even this was a recommendation of ours in the annual general meeting in 2000. So I have given you three instances of what we had recommended 12 years back, the board is thinking of doing it now,’ he said.
‘I always felt that the cricket board president should be elected. There was a time when the cricket board was used to run with the money of the government. And when an organization is funded by the government it is very logical that there would be some government interference. But the cricket board had come out of that.
‘So there is no way out without an election. There can be a person from the government to monitor its activities as the public interest is also involved with it,’ he said.
Saber said he still misses the BCB after his successful stint saw Bangladesh become the ICC Trophy champions and gain the Test status eventually.
‘That was a fantastic team effort during my time. It was not just achieving Test status. We needed the courage and determination to go for it. So naturally if you work together and achieve a concrete result it is very satisfying.
‘Even during that time we proposed to host the World Cup 2011. Whenever you are associated with an organisation and that association produces a concrete result which everybody is proud of then the relationship becomes deeper. So working together as a team is something that I really miss,’ he said.
-With New Age input
