'A matter of huge pride'

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal on Wednesday described his appointment as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) franchise league committee overseeing franchise cricket leagues as "a matter of huge pride" for both himself and Bangladesh.

Following the board meeting at the BCB headquarters in Mirpur, Tamim was asked about his experience attending the first ICC meeting since taking charge of Bangladesh cricket.

He said, "ICC was, ICC was good — I mean, on the 9th (of July) was my first board meeting, so I joined the first informal meeting on the 9th, and obviously most probably on the 11th or 12th there was a formal meeting. So I attended both the meetings. It was good, they welcomed me very well."

Tamim stated that he had spoken up wherever necessary during the proceedings.

"I have given my mind and I have given my opinion," on the points where he felt he needed to speak, he added.

He then turned to the ICC franchise committee role, calling it a significant honour.

"Secondly, it is a huge matter of pride for me, and I think for the country also, that in the first meeting I was made chairman of a committee, and the committee is quite big and significant," said the former Bangladesh captain.

"Because if you look at world cricket right now, what's happening is that along with cricket board members with the ICC, there are many others who are associate members as well — 90-plus probably or 100. So various countries are probably applying for T20 cricket in various leagues," he noted.

"This whole thing — to look after whether the process is being maintained or not, who is involved, who is not involved, whether we are going to approve them, or whether there is anything happening in the currently existing leagues that shouldn't be happening, or disapproving those leagues, and everything else — the committee has been formed for this," he explained.

"I don't think I should share each and every detail, but this is a very significant committee, and this committee will probably play a very big part going forward," he concluded.