BCB director breaks silence after 'Indian agent' remark against Tamim Iqbal sparks outrage

Published - 13 Jan 2026, 19:07 IST | Updated - 14 Jan 2026, 10:14 IST

Bangladesh Cricket Board’s director and finance committee chairperson Najmul Islam has responded to his viral comment on Tamim Iqbal which he had made a few days back. Najmul had recently stirred controversy after targeting the former Bangladesh batter via a social media post by calling him an 'Indian agent'.

Najmul mentioned that those were just his personal views and that he did not like what Tamim had openly expressed on the current stance of the BCB wanting to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka.

"It was a private post. I don't think it went viral. It was the screenshot of my post that was made viral by people, and I don't know what people ended up gaining from it. I just expressed my personal views. I think in a situation like this, we're thinking about money and not the country. I don't have anything against Tamim. I would've said this about anyone else. Tamim's comments were in line with India's propaganda, and I did not like it," Najmul told Sports24.

"Eibar aaro ekjon porikkhito Bharatiya dalaal er aatyoprokash Banglar jonogon duchokh bhore dekhlo (This time, Bangladesh has witnessed the self-expression of a proven Indian agent)," he had posted a few days back.

ICC asks BCB to reconsider to play T20 World Cup in India

The Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh expressed shock at Najmul's comments. The statement also mentioned that the disrespect of a player like Tamim who had served Bangladesh cricket since a long time came as an action which was unacceptable to the body as well as painted a bad picture of Bangladesh cricket towards the entire cricket fraternity.

"A comment made by BCB director M. Najmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal has come to the attention of the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh. We are stunned, shocked, and outraged by it. Such a remark by a board official about the most successful opener in Bangladesh's history, who represented the country for 16 years, is utterly condemnable. Not only because it concerns a player like Tamim, but such comments about any cricketer in the country are unacceptable and insulting to the entire cricketing community," their statement read.