BCB chief Faruque refuses to resign amid removal buzz

Faruque Ahmed has said that the country's sports ministry has asked him to "not continue" in his role as BCB president - Faruque was given the instruction during a meeting with the sports adviser Asif Mahmud on Wednesday. Faruque, though, is firm in his decision to not resign.

"The [sports] adviser hasn't told me to resign, but said they don't want me to continue," Faruque told ESPNcricinfo. "But I will not resign since I am an elected board president."

Faruque, a former Bangladesh captain, was elected BCB president on August 21 following the fall of the Awami League government in Bangladesh. Faruque was elected to the position by the remaining BCB directors after the National Sports Council, the country's apex sports body, nominated him and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim as their representatives in the board.

Faruque's time as the board president has been rocky. On his first day in charge, he threatened to remove Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe while the team was playing a Test series in Pakistan. A couple of months later, Hathurusinghe was removed in messy circumstances with Faruque announcing that the Sri Lankan was suspended pending investigation of an assault charge. He said at the same press conference that Phil Simmons would be the new coach. Hathurusinghe was fired the next day.

Faruque's handling of corruption allegations in the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League were also criticised. His clash with the sports adviser's secretary also made headlines, as did his public fallout with fellow board director Fahim.

The sports ministry hasn't declared a replacement for the BCB director representative yet, but ESPNcricinfo understands that former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam is their choice for the next BCB president.

ESPNcricinfo has learned that if the sports ministry completes the formalities, Aminul will be present at the board directors' meeting in Dhaka on Saturday. In that case, Faruque would have to step down, with the directors then having to choose a board chief.

It is also understood that the sports ministry wants Aminul to head the BCB till its next election, expected to be in October this year. Aminul, who lives in Melbourne working as the ICC's development manager, told ESPNcricinfo that the sports ministry had sent him a proposal for an unspecified role in the BCB, to which he had agreed.

"The [sports] adviser's office contacted me a couple of weeks ago, asking me to come to Bangladesh for a role," Aminul said. "I agreed to the proposal. I don't wish to stay in the BCB for too long. You may think I am talking emotionally, but when a country needs a soldier, he doesn't think about his salary or self-interest. Serving the nation is the first priority. I have the same mentality. I am ready to take any role in the BCB."

Aminul said that when he informed the ICC about the proposal, the sport's governing body was keen to lend him to the BCB for a few months. "They have agreed to it, and told me that the ICC's door is open for me," Aminul said. "I can return to the ICC after finishing my role in the BCB."

Aminul was Bangladesh's first Test centurion when he made 145 against India in the country's inaugural Test match in Dhaka in 2000. He led Bangladesh during the 1999 World Cup, too. He played 13 Tests and 39 ODIs, having made his international debut in 1988. Aminul later became a coach and a match referee, before taking up coaching roles in the ACC and ICC over the last two decades.