Horse must lead the carriage
Nazmul Hassan had some reservations over taking the demanding job as president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for another term because of the full-time involvement the post demands. Hassan however was re-elected as the boss of the country's richest sports body on Wednesday and took little time in making a commitment regarding his next target -- to decentralise cricket within the shortest possible time.
The goal of forming a regional cricket association or decentralising cricket is nothing less than an appropriate one if someone wants to see the bright and sustainable development of Bangladesh cricket.
Surely one will not hesitate to say that Hassan had a successful four years at the helm of the country's most popular sports body but if it is a question of making an undying mark on the history of Bangladesh cricket, then nothing will be better for Hassan than fulfilling the long-standing demand.
However, he will only be remembered if it is functional in the true sense rather than a puppet structure. Only self-governed regional associations will be able to serve the true purpose of decentralisation.
Only time will tell how Hassan moves forward with his new vision in his new term.
The BCB boss however has some other issues which he can fix quickly to make a bold start to his new journey.
When Hassan had expressed his desire to quit the top post publicly after claiming it too demanding a job for a ruling party lawmaker, he did not say anything wrong as he has to deal with many other demanding jobs. It cannot be denied that one needs full concentration on such a vital position, especially considering the volume of work the board is dealing with these days.
But as someone who is also a chief executive officer of a leading multinational conglomerate in the country, nobody knows better than Hassan that if his professional apparatus in the board worked properly, he would be able to focus only on the important policy matters.
If he has the right men in the right places then he would not need to think about whether his head coach is accountable or not, whether his domestic competitions are running properly, whether the development programmes are going on smoothly, etc.
The latest instance is the talk surrounding the role of head coach Chandika Hathurusingha following the debacle in South Africa. However, if someone has become authoritarian then it is the fault of the system. Hassan will definitely look into the debacle in South Africa, but he should also find out whether there is anything lacking in his system which sometimes has led to chaos.
We want to believe that Hassan will look into the current chaotic selection policy so that he can get relief from that headache.
A carriage cannot lead a horse. So only if the board is truly professional can there be a functional regional cricket association.