Hassan already looking forward
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan and his committee completed its four-year tenure at the helm of the country's most affluent sports body yesterday. However, it is widely expected that he will continue the demanding job for a second term after the board elections on October 31 and that was why the BCB boss elaborated about both what he had achieved during his first tenure and what challenges he would need to overcome in the coming days while speaking to the reporters at the BCB headquarters in Mirpur yesterday.
It might not have been the ideal time for Hassan to speak about success considering the tough time the national team is enduring in South Africa because cricket administrators' successes often evolve with the successes of the national team. But he certainly deserves kudos for the transformation of the men's team from a hit-and-miss side to a unit that has finally translated its potential into success.
So when he highlighted the Tigers' successes in the 2015 World Cup, the 2017 Champions Trophy, three 'unimaginable' home series wins against Pakistan, India and South Africa, the Test victories against England and Australia at home and Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka while speaking about his success story during the four-year tenure, he did not say anything wrong.
Hassan also reminded of the struggles off the field which were no less challenging, from hosting the ICC World Twenty20 to ensuring discipline among the players, and added: "A major issue was solved during my tenure when we played a one-off Test in India. It was a breakthrough."
However, he acknowledged reality, especially in the face of the Tigers' recent performances in South Africa, which is why he went on to say: "We have a long way to go. True, we have reached a level where all teams now take us seriously but we are not a big team in world cricket and we are very weak abroad. So it will be a big challenge in the coming days and we have to work on that aspect."
"I had a dream of taking the team to number five in the ICC [ODI] rankings but we could not make it, so that will be another challenge to overcome," he added. "Another important issue will be to make separate teams for Test, ODI and T20 cricket and if I come to power, I will definitely focus on tours for the A team, High Performance team and the U-19 team so that new players get international exposure."
He has another dream, perhaps the most important of them all, which is the formation of the much-talked about Regional Cricket Associations, which was a commitment from the BCB when it applied for Test status.
"As I said earlier, I have a desire of staying as a director but everybody with me is requesting me to continue as president. Let the election take place first then we will think," ended Hassan.
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