BCB does not share Kamal's views: Papon
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon on Thursday said that the 'Kamal episode with the ICC' has nothing to do with the BCB, which has been maintaining its own stance distinctively different from the views of the outgoing ICC president.
While talking to some reporters, Papon also said that Kamal's loggerhead with ICC top brasses would not affect his board's cordial relationship with the ICC or the other member nations.
Former ICC president AHM Mustafa Kamal, in his parting shot on Wednesday, had criticised the ICC's top brass and described the mindset of some of the ICC members as 'ugly'.
“Whatever Kamal said, he said as the ICC president and it did not represent the Bangladesh Cricket Board. And the one whom he spoke against [Narayanaswami Srinivasan] was not representing India but the ICC. So this is completely an issue of the ICC and they should handle it. This is not something that should worry either the BCCI or the BCB or even India and Bangladesh.
“I don't know why many seem to think that this is a problem between India and Bangladesh. There is nothing against India. Even the umpires weren't Indian. Following the game the BCB sent an official observer on certain issues to the ICC because there were doubts about some of the aspect of the game and the ICC responded appropriately. The matter ended there,” said Papon.
The controversial decisions during the Bangladesh-India quarterfinal, combined with Kamal's comments—that the umpires might have had 'an agenda' during the game—caused uproar amongst the fans in Bangladesh.
Papon, however, through examples stated how Srinivasan in the capacity as BCCI president had in fact supported the BCB on a number of occasions.
“Ever since I took over as president I have received all the support I could from the ICC. For instance, there was uncertainty with regards to Bangladesh hosting the Asia Cup in 2014 due to the political scenario. Some of the cricketing boards were two-minded about coming here.
“That's when we got support from Srinivasan and that actually helped us. Eventually we managed to host the ICC World Twenty20 as well. Even with regards to the Test status issue that was brought up last year, he ensured that a decision went for us. He played a pivotal role on that. Until now the decisions we received from the ICC have worked well for us,” explained Papon.
The BCB boss described Kamal's resignation as unfortunate and this is where he wanted to put a full stop.
“The fact that he wasn't able to give the trophy is unfortunate since that's what the constitution states. What he has done is right from his perspective,” said Papon.
With Kamal resigning three months before the end of his tenure, there is now a vacancy for the post of the ICC president. According to the BCB president, the ICC has asked the board to recommend someone from BCB for the position.
“The ICC has communicated with us regarding the issue. They have asked us propose a name from the board. Since this is a complex scenario we will have to go through the pros and cons before taking a decision with regards to this issue,” said Papon, adding that the issue would be discussed on April 6 board meeting.
Papon, while lamenting the uneasy scenario, said that they could not even find some breathing space to celebrate Bangladesh's outstanding performance in the World Cup.
“We were supposed to hold a grand reception so that hundreds of fans who turned up at the airport to have a glimpse of their heroes, but were deprived, could enjoy the success with the Bangladesh cricket team,” said Papon, adding that such reception would definitely take place before mid-April.
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