While there’s a lot happening in Bangladesh cricket right now, it’s easy to overlook someone resigning from a relatively unknown technical committee. But behind this resignation lies a story that once again reveals how the country’s cricket is still under the influence of powerful clubs.

On 20 April, an official from Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) told Daily Sun that the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) had reduced Towhid Hridoy’s two-match ban to one match, clearing the way for him to participate in their Super League match against Agrani Bank at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday.

Ahead of the ongoing Bashundhara Dhaka Premier League (BDPL), the CCDM had formed a three-member technical committee comprising Enamul Haque (convener), Selim Shahed, and Abdullah Al Noman. The committee was expected to make decisions on disciplinary issues..

As a result, Hridoy appealed to the technical committee convener to reduce his two-match suspension. However, according to sources, Enamul Haque had no role in lifting the ban—in fact, he resigned from his position, citing a conflict of interest.

“I resigned because I felt there would be a conflict of interest, as I am performing different roles,” Enamul told Daily Sun on Monday.

CCDM chairman Mohammad Salahuddin said he had yet to receive any official resignation letter from the BCB’s technical committee convener.

“I’ve also heard that he resigned, but I’m not sure what prompted him to make that decision,” said Salahuddin.
While the technical committee was expected to make the call in such cases, the BCB’s umpires committee unexpectedly took over the matter. In an apparent effort to include Hridoy in MSC’s playing XI, the rulebook was changed.

“We sent a memo to the CCDM yesterday stating that the sanction table has been revised. The rule equating seven demerit points to a two-match suspension has been changed. That’s why he was able to play against Agrani Bank,” an umpires committee official said.

Towhid Hridoy, MSC captain, was initially handed a two-match suspension and fined Tk 80,000 for making offensive remarks toward elite panel umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid Saikat during a heated BDPL match.

According to officials, Hridoy was given three demerit points and a fine for his post-match comments directed at Saikat, Bangladesh’s only representative on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires. Prior to that, he had received four demerit points during the match for a separate code of conduct violation, which triggered a one-match suspension. With the added offence, Hridoy had accumulated seven demerit points, leading to a two-match ban.

The real question is: what prompted the BCB umpires committee to suddenly change the rulebook, especially when the decision regarding Hridoy should have come from the technical committee?

“We need to move the game forward during times like this, and in such cases, an interim body can always step in if a crisis arises,” said an official when asked why the BCB umpires committee altered the rule.
It is understood that officials from Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) exerted pressure on the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) to ensure Towhid Hridoy could participate in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) after serving just a one-match ban. As a result, the CCDM had to involve the BCB Umpires Committee to give the ban reduction an official stamp of approval.

According to insiders, BCB Umpires Committee Chairman Iftekhar Mithu and BCB Cricket Operations Chairman Nazmul Abedin were initially unwilling to reduce the ban. However, they reportedly had to reverse their stance due to intense pressure.

As per the previous BCB Code of Conduct, players receiving between 4 and 7 demerit points would face a two-match suspension. For 8 to 11 demerit points, the suspension would be four matches. Players accumulating 12 to 15 demerit points would receive a six-match ban, and those with 16 or more demerit points would be banned for eight matches.

The BCB has now decided to revise the rules. Going forward, players who accumulate 4 to 7 demerit points will face a one-match suspension. Those with 8 to 11 points will be suspended for three matches. Players receiving 12 to 15 demerit points will face a five-match ban, and those with 16 or more will be suspended for seven matches.
“It’s the same old wine in a new bottle,” a veteran organizer involved in the matter told this newspaper in a tone of frustration.