The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) named ex-skipper Faruque Ahmed Wednesday as president after the resignation of Nazmul Hassan, a close ally of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cricket and politics go hand-in-hand in Bangladesh, and the sport has been hit by the turmoil that has wracked the country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nazmul, who also served as sports minister during Hasina's 15-year autocratic rule, wrote to the BCB to resign, board chief executive officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury told AFP.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"His wish was granted," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
More than 450 people were killed during a month of student-led protests against Hasina's rule, before she quit as prime minister on August 5 and fled the country.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Chowdhury said Faruque was elected by the board's directors and "took charge immediately".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nazmul had been BCB president since 2012, serving multiple terms, with his last tenure scheduled to end in 2025.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
New president Faruque briefly captained Bangladesh in the 1994 ICC Trophy in Kenya and played seven one-day internationals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He retired from the national team after the World Cup in 1999.<\/p>\r\n\r\n