Mahbub Anam set to skip BCB elections amid growing scrutiny

Mahbub Anam, veteran sports organiser and current director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), is unlikely to contest in the upcoming board elections scheduled for October.

The development is being seen as the biggest twist in the lead-up to the polls, given Mahbub's association with the board for over two decades, having been part of every administration since 2001. He was widely expected to run for the president's post this time around.

However, with election dates approaching, Mahbub has recently found himself under media scrutiny, and insiders suggest that the pressure may have influenced his decision to stay out of the race. Some reports emerged that cast him in a poor light, suggesting corruption.

"I have told you earlier that I won't take part in election unless the environment is good and you know what is happening," Mahbub told Cricbuzz on Wednesday (August 20), when asked about his withdrawal. "What is happening I don't think it will end anywhere."

Mahbub currently heads the BCB's Grounds Committee and recently replaced former BCB president Faruque Ahmed as chairman of the Bangladesh Premier League Governing Council.

A former cricketer with Mohammedan Sporting Club, Mahbub moved into cricket administration soon after retirement, joining the Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) in 1986. His first major role in national cricket administration came in 2001, when he was elected to the Executive Committee of the then Bangladesh Cricket Control Board (BCCB).

Since then, he has remained a fixture in the BCB setup, except for a brief period when various advisory committees ran cricket following a change in government.