Mithun elected president as players’ voices take center stage

Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:26 AM

Mithun elected president as players’ voices take center stage

Bangla Press Desk: ‘‘This must be your first time on a CWAB vote.’’ A senior journalist candidly asked Taijul Islam, who was standing outside the BCB Academy building waiting for newly elected Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh’s (CWAB) president Mohammad Mithun and Mominul Haque. Taijul, 33, a senior Test cricketer in Bangladesh who started his international career back in 2014, paused for a moment before replying, ‘’Yes, this is the first time.’’ Notably, CWAB had been run by ex-captain Naimur Rahman Durjoy and Debabrata Pal since an unofficial annual general meeting in 2014. After the fall of the government last year, Durjoy disappeared from public life, effectively vacating his position. In March 2025, an ad hoc 13-member committee headed by Salim Shahed was formed to oversee fresh elections. On Thursday afternoon, cricketers from across the country came and participated in the historic poll. Almost 190 cricketers voted in the CWAB election, including current BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, Tamim Iqbal, Mominul Haque, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and many other top-level players.

Following the poll, 34-year-old Mohammad Mithun was elected president of CWAB, ending more than a decade-long wait for new leadership. Mithun defeated former national cricketer and current match referee Salim Shahed by 154 votes to 34 in Thursday’s ballot. The result was announced in the evening and greeted with celebrations by players. Only the presidential post was contested in Thursday’s vote. Former opener Shahriar Hossain Bidyut was elected unopposed as senior vice-president, while current Bangladesh wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan became vice-president. National stars Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Akbar Ali, Rumana Ahmed, Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, Irfan Sukkur, former captain Khaled Mashud Pilot, and Imrul Kayes were all elected unopposed as executive members. Following the election, while speaking to the media, Mithun announced that, in the end, cricket was the winner in the CWAB election. ‘’Everyone was able to vote in a very positive environment. I think winning or losing isn’t the main point—cricket has won. It’s rare to see all the cricketers together like this. We were able to vote in such a great atmosphere, meet everyone, and even get introduced to many former players we hadn’t known before,’’ he said. ‘’I believe that if CWAB’s activities run properly, this distance between players will disappear. Whether senior or junior, if we can come together across all sectors and programs, our understanding of each other will improve, and the cricketing circle will grow,’’ he added.

To achieve that, Mithun said that CWAB will fight for players’ rights in the coming days, using both polite and firm approaches. ‘’There are two ways to achieve something: first, request it politely and present it well; second, fight for it. We will try to resolve everything through cooperation and understanding. But if that doesn’t work, since I am here ultimately for the players, I must speak for them. If someone gets unhappy with that, it’s not my concern. I am here as a players’ representative, and their interests come first,’’ he remarked. Mithun also expressed hope to get support from the BCB and work together for the good of the game in Bangladesh. ‘’I believe that cricketers belong to the BCB and the BCB belongs to the cricketers. It’s one big family, and there shouldn’t be any distance between us. The BCB is our guardian. We can report any problem to them and even knock on their door. I hope those in charge at the BCB will take these matters positively,’’ he said. ‘’Everyone will agree that the main stakeholders in cricket are the players. Players should never be deprived of their rights. Perhaps many things were neglected in the past, but now everything has a fresh start—a new cricket board, and we are new too. So we should work together as a family,’’ he added.

He also addressed long-standing players’ payment issues. ‘’It’s wrong to say that there’s no need to ask for things. There absolutely is a need. I play in the BPL, DPL, and National League, so I am aware of what’s happening in the national team and around it,’’ he said. ‘’I can help solve those issues. But there are many problems at the grassroots level that we don’t know about. We can feel problems from our position, but there are more issues down there that we need to know about. That’s why we have decided to have a representative in every sector who will inform us of everything, so we can act accordingly,’’ he added. Formal captain Tamim Iqbal was instrumental in CWAB’s revival back in March. He said on Thursday that CWAB’s real work begins now. ‘’I feel that in the last 15–16 years of my cricket career I had never witnessed something like this. To be here and see it myself made me very happy. It felt like being in a beautiful carnival, even meeting some cricketers for the first time. I think this should continue. But the difficult part begins now—because reforming the body and holding elections is one thing, and we’ve almost completed that with the new president and committee. The real work starts here,’’ he said. Vice-president Nurul Hasan also expressed his sentiment about CWAB’s election, questioning the previous CWAB election’s legality, calling it a ‘’selection’’ rather than an ‘’election.’’ ‘’I feel that CWAB elections used to be more like a selection process. I’ve never really seen an election like this before. I’ve never even voted in a national election, and today was the first time I cast a vote here. It feels really good to be here,’’ he said. ‘’I feel that since I am still involved with cricket and actively playing, we as cricketers also have a responsibility to think about those coming up behind us. Alhamdulillah, it is through cricket that I have become the person I am today. I believe it is our responsibility to ensure that everyone gets that kind of scope and opportunity,’’ he added.

Elected CWAB member Rumana Ahmed also shared her ambition with CWAB. ‘’Regarding women’s cricket and the challenges it faces in Bangladesh, I will definitely raise my voice. I have spoken with all the CWAB members and those standing for the president’s post, and everyone has assured me that they are on our side and want to work for cricket. I hope, Inshallah, that good things will come from this effort,’’ she said. This article was originally published on Daily Sun.

[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]

Mithun elected president as players’ voices take center stage

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