Chaos hits Bangladesh Cricket Board ahead of Chevrons Test

Zimpapers Sports Hub

AS Zimbabwe prepares to face Bangladesh in a two-match Test series starting on Sunday, chaos has hit the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after their headquarters were reportedly raided by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on Tuesday.

The ACC is said to have collected documents and records following allegations against the cricket board. The three-member probe team held a press briefing following their raid, alongside BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

The allegations include financial misappropriation of ticket sales during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and irregularity in expenses for cricket-related activities around a political programme called “Mujib 100” (to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) in 2020 but which got cancelled due to the Covid pandemic.

The ACC team also looked into details about the rule change in Dhaka’s third division qualification competition. All three allegations fall under the time when Nazmul Hassan was the BCB president.

“We will file a report in the enforcement unit after verifying all these documents. The ACC will then decide what the next step will be. Every one of the ACC’s raid is due to a specific complaint. We collect complaints from the media. We have a committee that verifies these complaints. Once it is approved, we go on a raid. It is the same in this case,” said the ACC’s assistant director Al Amin.

The ACC officials said they are looking into the financial anomaly in the BPL’s ticket sales since the third edition. Ticket sales have earned the BCB around BDT 15 crore (US$1,2 million approx.) from the eight seasons, but in the eleventh season alone it was BDT 13 crore (US$1,07 million approx.).

“One of BCB’s revenue streams is ticket sales. There was 15 crore in eight years, and then 13 crore in a single year. We are trying to collect documents to find out what the anomaly is,” said Al Amin.

BCB’s chief executive Chowdhury vowed to cooperate with the ACC, saying he would direct the relevant departments to help them with documents.

Meanwhile, the Chevrons arrived in Sylhet, the venue for the first Test on Wednesday and wasted no time in getting down to business.

Upon arrival, Justin Sammons’ men hit the pool for a refreshing recovery session, under the expert eye of strength and conditioning coach Curtly Diesel.

The Chevrons and the Tigers have faced off 18 times in Test Cricket with their first meeting dating back to 2001 when Zimbabwe registered a 2-0 series sweep at home.

Of the 18 meetings, Zimbabwe have won seven while Bangladesh have won eight with three games ending as draws.
The forthcoming series marks Zimbabwe’s first Test in Bangladesh since February 2020, when the hosts secured victory in a one-off match in Dhaka by an innings and 106 runs. However, the last meeting between the two was in 2021 in Harare.

Zimbabwe will take on Bangladesh in the first Test at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium in Sylhet from 20 to 24 April, with the second match scheduled for April 28 to May 2 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

The squad, which arrived in Bangladesh earlier this week, gathered for their first practice at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, showcasing energy and focus during warm-ups and fielding drills before rain returned midway through the net session.