BCB official under hot water for calling Tamim Iqbal 'Indian agent'

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) finance committee chairman M Nazmul Islam landed in hot water after calling former captain Tamim Iqbal an ‘Indian agent’.

Nazmul took to Facebook and wrote about Tamim after his interview, in which the latter suggested that BCB should keep all options on the table before boycotting the national team’s participation in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

The official called Tamim is an Indian agent in his post, which has now been removed from his account.

“This time, the people of Bangladesh witnessed, with their own eyes, the emergence of yet another proven Indian agent,” he wrote.

Following that, the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) expressed disappointment over the statement in a press release.

“A comment made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal has come to the attention of the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB). We are stunned, shocked, and outraged by it,” the statement wrote.

“Such a remark by a board official about the most successful opener in Bangladesh’s history, who represented the country for 16 years, is utterly condemnable.

Not only because it concerns a player like Tamim, but such comments about any cricketer of the country are unacceptable and insulting to the entire cricketing community,” CWAB said in a statement,” it concluded.

Meanwhile, several Bangladesh cricketers have also criticized Najmul Islam’s remarks.

“I am shocked by the statement made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal.

Such choice of words by a board director about a national team cricketer is not only tasteless, but completely unacceptable and contrary to our cricketing culture,” said Test spinner Taijul Islam.

Test cricketer Mominul Haque also shared his views on the statement, noting that the remarks are not acceptable.

“The comment made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal is completely unacceptable and insulting to the country’s cricketing community. Such behaviour towards a cricketer is in direct conflict with the board’s responsibility and ethics,” said Mominul.

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed urged the authorities to take the matter seriously amid the broader interests of national cricket.

“Cricket is the life of Bangladesh. A recent comment surrounding a former national captain who has made a major contribution to the game has caused many to reflect.

“I believe that such remarks directed at a former cricketer of the country are not helpful in the interest of Bangladesh cricket. I hope the concerned authorities will consider the matter seriously and adopt a more responsible stance in the future,” he said.