After Champions Trophy setback, BCB focuses on strengthening national team

After the Bangladesh team returned home from the ICC Champions Trophy, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held its first meeting on Monday (March 3). The performance and future of the national cricket team were discussed during the meeting. The BCB board highlighted the need to move past the Champions Trophy's failure and concentrate on finding ways to improve Bangladesh's cricket. The main focus of the meeting was the national team.

Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, BCB Director and Head of Cricket Operations, told Views Bangladesh, "During Monday’s meeting, we discussed the performance and future of the national cricket team. Additionally, there will be a separate meeting soon to further address the team's performance. It was noted that, with the exception of one or two players, most did not perform up to expectations in the Champions Trophy. This was a key point of discussion."

Before the tournament, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto had high hopes, stating that their goal was to win the Champions Trophy. However, his dream was crushed as the team was eliminated in the group stage. Bangladesh did not win any matches in the group phase. After two losses, they managed to earn one point due to rain in a match. Prior to the Champions Trophy, Bangladesh's head coach, Phil Simmons, had mentioned that the team’s preparation was not ideal. Following the team's exit from the group stage, senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin also highlighted the lack of proper preparation. Nazmul Abedeen Fahim admitted the failure to fully prepare the team. He told Views Bangladesh, "Our preparation was not up to the mark. The responsibility lies with us, as we failed to plan properly. However, when I took over the cricket operations division, it was very recent, and I did not have the opportunity to directly manage the department’s operations."

He also said, "It’s not that we hadn’t discussed this before, but we found ourselves in a complex situation that prevented it. Later, we realized that many decisions had to be made at the last minute, and several changes were required. Based on the performances in the BPL, I was optimistic. However, I believe the performance fell short of expectations due to inadequate preparation. As a result, the BCB is now focusing more on improving the national team."

Fahim, who oversees the board’s cricket operations, stated that a meeting will be held to focus solely on the national team. He said, "We will discuss only the national team – what needs to be done, how it should be organized from the ground up, and how everything should be managed, with no other agenda. Everyone understands that improving the national team means improving everything. If the national team doesn’t perform well, nothing else will work, no matter what we do or how many success stories we share – the real progress won't happen. We must ensure the national team’s success."

It has been reported that while no decisions were made regarding the head coach or captain during Monday's meeting, several other matters were finalized. The BCB Welfare Trust and Trustee members were approved, and new contracts were established for 100 first-class players for 2025, placing them under salary agreements. Former athlete and Olympian Fauzia Huda Juhi has been appointed as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the women’s team for a six-month term. Additionally, the name of Purbachal Stadium has been changed to National Cricket Ground (NSG).