'Who is benefitted?'

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan said that if the amended 2012 constitution is illegal than all the BCB constitutions before that were also illegal.

Hassan served the latest salvo in the on-going verbal battle involving him and former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury, who questioned the legality of the BCB's present executive committee following a verdict of the apex court that ruled the amended 2012 BCB constitution illegal.

The court in a landmark verdict in July this year ruled that the NSC has amended the BCB constitution without lawful authority. The court also ruled that the BCB is 'at liberty' to amend its constitution at any time in line with the ICC recommendations and subject to the approval of the NSC.

"The highest court ruled that the amendments made by the NSC in 2012 were done without lawful authority. I have documents I can show you that the NSC has not only amended the 2012 BCB constitution but also the preceding constitutions since 2001. In that context aren't the other constitutions including the 2008 amended constitution illegal?" Hassan questioned at a press briefing at the BCB Academy Auditorium yesterday.

At the briefing where he also announced a five-member Election Commission for holding the next BCB polls, Hassan also questioned: "Those who are now challenging the NSC authority were in the board before. Why have they not taken the issue to court then?"

While detailing the whole episode since he took the hot seat in 2012 with the primary purpose of holding the BCB elections, Hassan said that he and his committee, elected in 2013 under the impugned 2012 constitution following a directive of the court, have not done anything beyond its lawful authority.

He said that it was imperative for them to amend the 2008 BCB constitution to comply with the ICC guideline that all of its member associations should have an elected body within 2013. The 2008 BCB constitution and ones before had the clause of a government nominated president or chairman.

He however admitted that it had never dawned on him that the NSC could not amend the BCB constitution.

"The NSC has done it before and we thought it was a practice within the legal framework," said the BCB boss after appearing from an emergency meeting, which he claimed was the last of his 27-member committee whose four-year term ends on October 17.

He said that a vested group led by Saber were trying to belittle Bangladesh cricket in the world forum.

"Suppose the court rules us illegal. Who is going to be benefited from this? It's certainly not Bangladesh cricket which is now in a healthy state," said Hassan bitterly while reflecting on the pending court ruling about his legality of holding the office and functioning.

He said that they held the AGM and EGM following the court's directive that stated that 'BCB's smooth functioning should not be disrupted'. The BCB passed the amended 2017 BCB constitution in the AGM and EGM, which voted in favour of assuming more of the authority that previously lay with the NSC.

The amended 2017 BCB constitution empowered its executive committee to form an election commission and choose 10 former national cricketers as councillors, both of which were a prerogative of the NSC before.