"ACSU report top priority"

Nazmul Hasan Papon

There are a plethora of issues facing Bangladesh cricket at the moment but Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon has placed highest importance on the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit's (ACSU) report on suspected match-fixing in the country.
Papon's appearances before the press are so rare that when he does take the stand to answer questions on pressing issues, they pour in thick and fast. At the press conference in Mirpur yesterday, Papon talked on the entire range of issues -- match-fixing, the uncertainty over the Dhaka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) non-payment, the staging of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) elections -- that have dogged the cricket community of late.
The upshot of the press conference was that the Dhaka Premier League, the sole 50-over domestic tournament in the country, is facing further uncertainty as the president was considering the postponement of the league till the delivery of the report, which according to him may be at International Cricket Council's (ICC) Annual General Meeting at the end of June.
“The ACSU report is my topmost priority. It will be difficult for me to host the players' transfer (scheduled for June 23) before we get the report,” said Papon.
“I have to see all the sides. What if more players are named? I pray that no new players are named, but if they are then what will I do?” he asked rhetorically.
The Dhaka Premier League was already in trouble with the players' recent decision to boycott the league if it did not revert to its old player payment scheme. There were also complaints that the board had ignored the players' views and was merely adhering to the clubs' calls.
“We are not in a situation to host the league. We always thought of hosting it during September or October. It's the rainy season, the grounds are not free. Only because players like Mushfiqur (Rahim) and others asked us to host the league within this season, we decided to go ahead,” said Papon.
“The clubs can say a lot of things, so can the players, but the final decision regarding the payment will be taken by the BCB. Nobody else can decide the rules of the leagues,” he added.
With regard to the players' boycott he said, “The problem is that centrally contracted players will have to play in a BCB league. I don't know if they said it knowingly. Whatever be the case we will try to find a solution,” said Papon.
The board's election was the other issue in question. As per the ICC's guidelines, the BCB was supposed to have elected an executive committee by June this year. However, the amended constitution sent in by the National Sports Council last year, which fell in line with ICC's demand for an elected president, was deemed illegal by the country's High Court.
Thereafter, the NSC and BCB filed a Civil Miscellaneous Petition for Leave to Appeal before Appellate Division to stay the High Court ruling and the Appellate Division stayed the rule.
“If we don't do the election according to ICC's guideline and the court declares the 2008 constitution valid, Bangladesh stands to lose its ICC membership,” said Papon. He further stated that the ICC will give an opinion on the election scenario at the AGM later this month and the board will wait till then.
Meanwhile, the president also stated that the board would take a tough stance against the Bangladesh Premier League payment defaulters and also asked the players to trust the board regarding the payment dues. Furthermore, he stated that banned umpire Nadir Shah's request for minimum punishment would be discussed in the next board meeting.