Nazmul Hassan becomes BCB's first elected president

Nazmul Hassan has been elected Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president unanimously, making him the first elected president of the board. Hassan had been serving as president since October 17, 2012, when he was appointed by the government after his predecessor Mustafa Kamal had become the ICC vice-president a week earlier.

Hassan was elected by 25 elected BCB directors at the National Sports Council (NSC) on Saturday, two days after the BCB elections were held. However, there was much controversy beforehand when former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury and his panel of councillors pulled out of the race citing the validity of the elections.

Nineteen of the 23 elected directors were nominated unopposed as a result, almost a week ahead of the polls. But with the elections completed under the authority of the NSC, the ad-hoc executive committee of the BCB will hand over responsibility to the newly elected body on Sunday.

Hassan's appointment to the post last year was based on the board's constitution, which gave the government the power to name the BCB president. However, the constitution was amended in July following a ruling by the Supreme Court, which meant that the president would have to be elected. Hassan had vowed to hold elections within a month of the court order, but the period had lapsed, leading to a delay. Towards the end of September, the BCB had settled on October 10 for the elections.

During this period, Hassan was involved in a prolonged war of words with Saber. Although both are MPs from the ruling Awami League, they questioned each other's position after Saber had announced of his participation by being a councillor of a Dhaka club, and a potential presidential candidate.

But Saber's pullout and that of his loyalists meant that Hassan's panel dominated the elections. Ten directors from divisions and districts, 12 from Dhaka clubs, three nominated by the NSC and one from the third category of councillors make up the BCB board of directors.