Khaled Mahmud has sharply criticized BCB President Faruk Ahmed and BCB director Nazmul Abedeen, especially questioning Nazmul’s mentality.
“I’m not bothered by the cricket board’s activities… totally not bothered,” Khaled Mahmud began when asked about the BCB’s operations. But it quickly became clear that he was, in fact, very bothered, particularly about the recent conflict involving the BCB President and Director. He took a strong stand against both, especially Nazmul Abedeen, the former captain of Bangladesh.
Khaled Mahmud had been a director at the BCB under the leadership of Nazmul Hassan (Papon) for a long period. After the changes in the board following the government shift last August, he resigned from his position as a director on September 11. Currently, he is involved in coaching, serving as the head coach of Dhaka Capitals in the ongoing BPL.
On Monday, after Dhaka’s practice session in Sylhet, he spoke to the media. When asked about his views on the current BCB’s activities from the outside, he initially expressed indifference. However, he praised Bangladesh’s success in retaining the Youth Asia Cup title recently, a victory he was proud of as the head of the BCB’s Game Development Committee at the time.
“We formed the team with some exceptional players who I know personally. After the World Cup failure, I decided to bring back Navid (Nawaz) with the support of the CEO. I’m thrilled that he agreed to come back. He’s a great person and a fantastic mentor for young players,” said Khaled Mahmud.
He then turned his attention to the recent tension between BCB President Faruk Ahmed and Director Nazmul Abedeen. Nazmul’s outburst regarding dissatisfaction and various allegations had caused a stir in the cricket world, but Faruk Ahmed responded, stating that all issues had been resolved.
However, Khaled Mahmud hinted that Nazmul’s dissatisfaction was largely due to his desire to head the Cricket Operations department.
“I saw the incident between Faruk Bhai and Fahim Bhai (Nazmul Abedeen) yesterday. It pains me that both are former cricketers. Why would they have ego problems? They came in to improve cricket, and they made many commitments when they joined. I had seen that. But now, what I’m seeing is greed. If he doesn’t get the Cricket Operations role, he threatens to resign. That’s just greed!”
He further questioned why Nazmul Abedeen felt entitled to the Cricket Operations role, pointing out that others, like Akram Bhai, could also lead that department, having been successful captains themselves.
Khaled Mahmud believed that if there were issues, Nazmul should have addressed them internally or resigned directly rather than airing them publicly.
“Peace exists in every home. No home is without conflict. Faruk Bhai and Fahim Bhai are both senior people. Fahim is a mentor to all of us, a wise coach. If he feels disrespected or not given responsibilities, he could directly talk to Faruk Bhai. There’s no need to make these issues public.”
Khaled Mahmud expressed disappointment over the situation being made public, as it tarnished the image of Bangladesh’s cricketers.
“Why should the entire country know about something that could have been resolved behind closed doors? These are both cricketers. If this is happening, people will think we go to the board for our personal gain. It’s embarrassing for all cricketers. This ego and power struggle between them is very funny and shameful.”
When seeing such behavior from senior figures they respected, Khaled Mahmud felt ashamed, wondering whether cricketers had become so greedy.
Khaled also pointed out that many former board members had resigned or lost their positions under the previous board. Those still around had either become inactive or been sidelined, which he blamed on the President, Faruk Ahmed.
“With so few directors, it’s becoming difficult for Faruk Bhai to run the board. Why isn’t he bringing in new directors? He can bring in anyone he wants,” he stated.
Finally, Khaled Mahmud directly addressed the failure to form permanent committees even after four and a half months since taking office: “This is their failure, nothing more.”
