Why BCB president Aminul suddenly goes to Lahore at midnight
An urgent message from Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam appeared on the board of directors’ WhatsApp group at 1:00 am Sunday. At that time, he was waiting to board a plane at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. But why is the BCB president suddenly travelling to Pakistan?
Aminul did not clarify this in the message to the directors. He only mentioned that he is in continuous discussions with the ICC regarding Bangladesh not playing in the T20 World Cup. As part of this, he is travelling to Lahore to hold meetings with the ICC and the PCB.
According to Aminul’s message, he confirmed at 11:30 pm yesterday that he must go to Pakistan.
In a message sent to the board’s WhatsApp group at 1:00 am, Aminul wrote, “This trip was confirmed just 90 minutes ago. I am now at the airport. Due to the short notice, I could not call anyone. The meeting will be held tomorrow (today) at 4:00 pm Lahore time. I will return on the evening of the 9th.”
Several BCB directors told newspersons that the message only informed them that the board president had gone to Lahore to meet the ICC and PCB. Nobody knows the agenda of the meeting or the reason for the president’s visit.
A board director, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Prothom Alo, “I know exactly what you know — that the BCB president has gone to Lahore. I will know the rest after he contacts us following the meeting.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani media reported that Aminul arrived in Lahore early today. There, PCB chief executive Salman Nasir welcomed him. The Pakistan Cricket Board posted a video on its Facebook page welcoming Aminul, with a caption quoting Salman Nasir: “We warmly welcome the honorable guest on arrival in Pakistan.”
In addition to attending the ICC and PCB meeting in Lahore, Aminul is also scheduled to hold a separate meeting with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
A Pakistani source told this correspondent that an ICC delegation is expected to arrive in Lahore to request reconsideration of Pakistan’s decision not to play against India in the T20 World Cup. The meeting is expected to discuss in detail Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match against India. However, as of this report, the meeting had not yet started. ICC deputy chairman Imran Khwaja is expected to attend on behalf of the ICC.