Bulbul Seeks ICC Funding Freeze Amid BCB Governance Dispute

The administrative dispute surrounding the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has entered a fresh and potentially significant phase after former BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul reportedly appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend financial assistance to the board. According to Cricbuzz, Bulbul has also challenged the legitimacy of the current BCB administration, arguing that the process through which the present leadership assumed office was legally and administratively flawed.

The cricket news outlet reported that Bulbul submitted a detailed 14-page letter to the ICC earlier this week. In the document, he is said to have questioned the validity of the current governance structure of the Bangladesh Cricket Board while simultaneously seeking reinstatement as BCB President. The letter also reportedly requests the ICC to withhold funding to the board until the governance dispute is resolved.

A source within the BCB told Cricbuzz that the ICC had informed the board about the contents of Bulbul’s correspondence. Following that notification, the BCB is understood to have consulted its legal team before submitting an official response to the sport’s global governing body.

Bulbul has not publicly commented on the matter. Cricbuzz reported that repeated attempts to contact him by telephone were unsuccessful, while messages seeking his response went unanswered.

The latest development stems from a series of administrative changes that reshaped Bangladesh cricket earlier this year. On 7 April, the National Sports Council dissolved the board led by Aminul Islam after receiving the findings of an investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the previous BCB election. The council said its decision was based on the recommendations of the inquiry committee established to examine those allegations.

On the same day, former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal was appointed to lead an 11-member ad hoc committee. The committee was tasked with conducting fresh BCB elections within 90 days. Those elections were eventually held on 7 June, when Tamim was elected unopposed as BCB President for a four-year term.

According to Cricbuzz, Bulbul’s submission to the ICC disputes the legality of both his removal from office and the process through which the subsequent board was formed. He reportedly argues that the administrative actions taken against him were not carried out in accordance with proper legal procedures.

The controversy over the BCB elections had emerged even before the board was dissolved. A faction led by Tamim Iqbal had called for an independent investigation into alleged electoral irregularities. It was claimed that 50 of the 76 cricket clubs in Dhaka supported an inquiry. Acting on those demands, the National Sports Council formed an investigation committee whose report ultimately led to the dissolution of Bulbul’s board.

Bulbul became BCB President on 30 May 2025 after the National Sports Council removed Faruque Ahmed from his position as councillor, a move that also resulted in Faruque losing the presidency. Faruque had assumed the role in August 2024 following the end of Nazmul Hassan’s lengthy tenure.

Before taking over at the BCB, Bulbul had been serving as an ICC Development Officer. He returned to Bangladesh with the stated objective of overseeing a transparent election process for the country’s cricket administration. Although his original plan was reportedly to return to his ICC role after the elections, he later decided to contest the presidency himself, saying he wished to complete what he described as unfinished work before stepping aside.

That ambition was cut short when the National Sports Council dissolved his board and installed the interim administration led by Tamim. Bulbul’s latest appeal to the ICC has now brought Bangladesh cricket’s governance dispute onto the international stage once again.

ICC funding remains a crucial source of financial support for the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Those funds contribute to the board’s day-to-day operations, infrastructure projects, age-group cricket, women’s cricket, development programmes and the organisation of international fixtures. Any decision by the ICC to review or suspend funding could therefore have significant administrative and financial implications for the governing body.

At present, however, no public decision has been announced by the ICC regarding Bulbul’s request. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has also refrained from issuing a detailed official statement beyond responding through its legal advisers. For now, the matter remains confined to legal correspondence and administrative exchanges, with no indication of when or how the ICC may address the issues raised.