‘If they had listened earlier, this wouldn’t have happened’

Bangla Press Desk:    Can the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) continue to shirk responsibility for the deepening crisis in women’s cricket by wilfully ignoring systemic issues?

This question has been reverberating across the country’s cricket fraternity ever since national pacer Jahanara Alam bravely stepped forward as a whistleblower. She exposed a disturbing underbelly within women’s cricket, accusing former pace bowler Manjurul Islam—who served as the women’s selector and manager—of blocking her path to the national team after she rejected his indecent proposal.

Jahanara also implicated the late Towhid Mahmud, alleging that he, too, made inappropriate advances through Sarfaraz Babu, an employee of the BCB.

In an interview with Riasad Azim on YouTube, Jahanara revealed that she had lodged an official complaint with the BCB Chief Executive Officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury about the hostile environment Manjurul fostered in the national dressing room.

However, Daily Sun has learned that the BCB chose to turn a blind eye to the complaint filed back in 2021. This neglect arguably paved the way for the harassment incident that marred the 2022 Women’s World Cup.

Shafiul Islam Nadel, who chaired the women’s committee under the Nazmul Hasan-led BCB, claimed ignorance of the complaint letter, stating that it was sent directly to the CEO.

“I don’t have a copy of that letter as it was sent to the BCB CEO,” Nadel told Daily Sun, an admission that suggests a failure to grasp the letter’s serious implications. Yet, Nadel alone cannot be held solely responsible. The BCB CEO himself failed in his duty by not forwarding the complaint to the women’s wing chairman, despite Jahanara raising multiple issues that demanded urgent attention if the women’s game was to progress.

Speculation within cricket circles suggests the silence from the BCB’s senior officials was deliberate, given the accused’s close connections to the board’s upper echelons. Towhid was personal secretary to the former BCB president Nazmul Hasan, while Manjurul wielded considerable influence within the board, courtesy of close ties to a powerful director.

When approached for comment, CEO Nizamuddin declined to make any official statement, citing the ongoing investigation.

While the current BCB administration under Aminul Islam Bulbul has finally formed a three-member investigative committee, the glaring question remains: why was no such action taken when the complaint first surfaced? Many within the cricket community argue that a prompt and strict response back then could have prevented this crisis from escalating to its current proportions.

Former national captain Rumana Ahmed did not mince her words, directly blaming Nizamuddin for the board’s failings. “He (Nizamuddin) should have taken responsibility because he isn’t just in charge of the men’s team; he’s responsible for all cricket,” Rumana told Daily Sun.

“And cricket isn’t just about the men’s team; there is a women’s team that also requires care and supervision. They are supposed to be our guardians,” she added.

She emphasised the board’s failure to act and communicate effectively.

“Absolutely, he could have done more. At the very least, he could have acknowledged the issue—saying something like, ‘Yes, we’re looking into it,’ or ‘We’re taking steps.’”

Rumana’s frustration was clear: “Will they only listen if we suffer harassment? Is that the threshold? Unless we cry out and break down, do they refuse to hear us?”

“If they had taken the matter seriously back then, this day of reckoning wouldn’t have arrived. The women’s team has always been sidelined. Had they acted at the time, we wouldn’t be forced to speak in tears now.”

The Bulbul-led BCB may be showing a more proactive stance by setting up an investigative panel, but whether this can truly heal the wounds left by the previous board’s negligence remains to be seen.

One thing is painfully clear: the board failed to act on the serious warnings laid out by Jahanara in her letter. Why this crucial step was overlooked remains an unanswered and troubling question.

BP/SP