“I have to look at BCB’s interest”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have voiced their objection towards two of the proposals that will be implemented should the new International Cricket Council (ICC) constitution be passed.

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has revealed that the board is against the idea that a country’s Full Member status can be reviewed by the governing body.

The BCB are also against the proposed change in the voting system, which will decentralise the power held by cricket boards of Full Member nations.

“Three days before we came here, we have informed the ICC that we do not agree with two specific things,” Hassan said in Colombo. “One of them is relegation: we said we don’t agree with a Full Member going down. Zimbabwe might be getting demoted but it might be someone else another time. We said that the Full Membership status cannot be changed at all.

“The second is voting rights … they are taking new independent directors, increasing the number of Associate members, weightage distribution is being changed. We have to understand this better, so we cannot approve this so quickly. We want to know Bangladesh’s position in this regard.

“We didn’t oppose the financial reforms but there were parts of the constitutional changes that we had opposed. When these came up in the last meeting, there were things that didn’t go with us. In the next meeting, these will come up item-wise, and we will vote on them item-wise too. A lot of those present had told me to refuse the whole thing but I said that if Bangladesh is getting more money, why should I refuse? I have to look at BCB’s interest.”

The BCB was one of seven boards to vote in favour of the new constitution, but with the board having raised their objections against two of the proposals, it remains to be seen whether the ICC can secure the eight votes required to instill the changes they want at their board meeting in April.