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. Cricket and politics go hand-in-hand in Bangladesh, and the sport has been hit by the turmoil that has wracked the country. 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.

“His wish was granted,” he said.

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.

Chowdhury said Faruque was elected by the board’s directors and “took charge immediately”.

Nazmul had been BCB president since 2012, serving multiple terms, with his last tenure scheduled to end in 2025.

New president Faruque briefly captained Bangladesh in the 1994 ICC Trophy in Kenya and played seven one-day internationals.

He retired from the national team after the World Cup in 1999.

He also held the position of national chief selector between 2005 and 2014.

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