Exclusive: New BCB President Aminul Islam Outlines Bold Vision for Bangladesh Cricket

Former Bangladesh skipper Aminul Islam has embraced a new chapter in his cricketing journey, stepping in as the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), replacing Faruque Ahmed.

Aminul, who captained Bangladesh during the 1999 World Cup, holds a historic place in the nation’s cricketing folklore as its first Test centurion — scoring a memorable 145 against India in Bangladesh’s inaugural Test match in Dhaka in 2000.

After debuting internationally in 1988, Aminul played 13 Tests and 39 ODIs. Post-retirement, he transitioned into coaching and match officiating, working in various roles under the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and International Cricket Council (ICC) over the past two decades before taking up the BCB presidency.

AIMING FOR TRANSPARENCY OVER TENURE

Speaking exclusively to Sports Boom, Aminul outlined his priorities in his interim role, emphasising his commitment to transparency and institutional integrity.

"My primary goal is to hold a transparent election and create the best cricket board. That's it. I'm not interested in running in the next election,” Aminul told SportsBoom.com. 

“The government asked me [to join BCB], and I said yes. Now it's just a matter of following the process. I have always been involved in the development of cricket. As I've said before, I never had the opportunity to work in this capacity before.”

“This is the first time I've received an official offer, and I didn't say no. It is as simple as that. And secondly, since the opportunity has come, I will work."

Aminul reiterated that he views this role as temporary. “For now, my focus is on fulfilling my role until the elections. Whether I'm assigned any tasks afterward, or I return to the ICC — I don't know what the future holds. But as of now, I don't plan to participate in the elections. I have no intention of staying in this role long term,” he said.

ICC’S BACKING CLEARS PATH FOR LEADERSHIP ROLE

Aminul also acknowledged the ICC for facilitating his move to take up the role in Bangladesh, granting him leave from his current responsibilities.

“The ICC told me: You're free. You can go and work there [in Bangladesh] for as long as you need. You can come back anytime. The door is always open for you,” Aminul revealed.

“I am grateful to the ICC for giving me the green signal to go ahead, even though I'm currently the only member of the Asia team."

REGIONAL CRICKET REFORM AT THE HEART OF AMINUL’S VISION

Aminul said he is willing to take bold decisions to ensure the development of a robust regional cricket structure — a long-standing but unfulfilled ambition in Bangladesh cricket.

Historically, efforts to decentralise the sport have been stymied by the influence of Dhaka-based board directors, many of whom have strong ties to local clubs. Under Aminul’s leadership, however, the BCB is attempting to overcome those challenges with renewed vigour.

“After we received Test status in 2000, we discussed building a regional structure, but it hasn’t happened to this day. This time, we will move forward — even if it requires bureaucratic steps — and the NSC is supporting us."

“Previously, we worked on expanding cricket across the country in a regional model, and now we’re going to implement that very soon."

He confirmed that developing regional cricket associations is now a central policy directive. “It was a commitment we made to the ICC and now it’s our number one priority. Of course, the performance of the national team is also part of this.”

But Aminul was quick to point out the distinction between power and policy. 

“This is not about decentralising power — we want to decentralise cricket,” he clarified. 

“We won’t provide grants directly from the board to the regions. They will earn their funding based on performance, number of players, facilities, number of coaches and umpires, etc. We’re developing a full funding model to support this,” he concluded.