Who really represents Bangladesh at the ICC and ACC — Tamim or Aminul?

Rumours, speculation and competing interpretations have once again stirred debate on social media. This time the question is: who is Bangladesh’s representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC) — Tamim Iqbal or Aminul Islam? Why does the ICC website still list Aminul as a member of the Board of Directors, and not Tamim?

Interestingly, not only at the ICC but also on the Executive Board list of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), led by Mohsin Naqvi, Aminul Islam is still shown as Bangladesh’s representative. Even three weeks after the change at the top of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), both organisations’ websites continue to display Aminul in that role.

Yet at the first meeting of the BCB’s ad hoc committee, president Tamim Iqbal was nominated as the board’s representative to both the ICC and ACC — which is standard practice.

In both bodies, the heads of member boards usually serve as their countries’ representatives on the boards of directors and normally attend meetings themselves, unless a specially nominated delegate attends in exceptional circumstances. Both organisations also hold conferences of chief executives (CEC), attended by the CEOs of member boards.

So why, despite Tamim becoming BCB chief, do the ICC and ACC websites still show Aminul as Bangladesh’s representative? And how can he still technically remain an executive board member of both bodies?

Let us begin with the ICC. When a new president is appointed to a national cricket board, it is not enough for the board to simply decide internally that this person will henceforth represent them at the ICC. There is a formal process that must be completed. In Tamim Iqbal’s case, he is required to visit the ICC headquarters in Dubai before the next Board meeting to complete this procedure.

The answer begins with procedure. That procedure is known officially as the induction process.

As BCB’s nominated representative, Tamim Iqbal would need to present his documents at the ICC, be formally introduced as Bangladesh’s representative, sign the terms and code of conduct applicable to ICC directors, and receive briefings from ICC officials ahead of his first board meeting. The entire process is overseen by the ICC’s head of legal.

Until that induction process is completed, the previous president remains, on paper, the ICC board member. There is precedent for this: after former BCB president Nazmul Hassan took office, his predecessor AHM Mustafa Kamal remained the board’s nominal ICC representative for some time.

But there is a complication this time.

Tamim is not an elected BCB president. He heads a government-appointed ad hoc committee. That raises a question: would the ICC formally recognise him as a board member?

One of the conditions underlying ICC induction is that the relevant board president must have come through a transparent and fair election, and that there should be no government interference in cricket administration. Both conditions could, in principle, complicate Tamim’s induction — unless the ICC chooses to treat Bangladesh as a special case.

Step by step, the process is broadly as follows:

Full ICC members usually nominate their board president or chairman to the ICC board. That individual must be formally approved as the board’s representative.

The nominating board’s constitution must align with ICC rules, including democratic elections and independence from government interference.

The ICC verifies the nominee’s status through its induction process.

Once nomination and verification are complete, the new representative joins the ICC board and participates in meetings.

That means there may be two reasons Aminul still appears as Bangladesh’s ICC board member:

First, Tamim may simply not yet have completed the induction process. Once he does, Aminul’s name and photograph would be replaced by Tamim’s on the ICC website.

Or second, the ICC does not know that someone after Aminul has taken charge as elected BCB president. If that is the case, Aminul’s name may remain until a new elected BCB president takes office, and Tamim may not be able to attend ICC board meetings at all.

It is worth noting that the current BCB administration is not an elected board but a government-appointed ad hoc or convening committee tasked mainly with organising a credible election. In that sense, even calling its head “president” can be misleading; “convener” would ordinarily be more accurate. Other members of that administration are called members of the convening committee, not board directors.

Aminul himself says he does not know precisely why he still appears as Bangladesh’s representative on the ICC website.

Speaking by phone from Australia, he told Prothom Alo today, “It could be for two reasons — procedural and legal. Perhaps the new president’s induction process has not yet been completed, so I am still shown as representative. Or there may be legal barriers, in which case induction may not happen at all. Only the ICC can really explain which it is.”

BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury also pointed to the induction process.

“This takes a little time,” he said. “It is not a major issue. We expect the process to be completed before the next ICC board meeting. Then the ICC website should also be updated.”

For now, the ICC has left the matter in suspense.

After the government installed the Tamim-led ad hoc committee, Aminul Islam declared it “illegal” and continued to claim he remained BCB president. Prothom Alo sought clarification from the ICC by email, but no response has yet been provided.

Meanwhile, a source said Aminul’s side had sought a Zoom meeting with the ICC, arguing that the current ad hoc committee is illegitimate and the previous board remains valid. Despite multiple attempts, that has not materialised.

A meeting had reportedly been scheduled for today, involving the ICC company secretary and legal officials, but it was cancelled two days ago, with the ICC saying another date would be offered later.

The ACC is generally far less complicated.

There, whichever representative a member board formally nominates and sends to a meeting is effectively recognised immediately as that country’s board representative. In principle, the same should apply to Tamim.

However, on contentious issues, the ACC often follows the ICC’s lead.

The next ICC meeting is expected in Ahmedabad around the IPL final on 31 May. It is widely believed that at that meeting the ICC may clarify its position on the BCB, and perhaps finally answer the question: who really represents Bangladesh at the ICC, Aminul Islam or Tamim Iqbal?