A day after Bangladesh Cricket Board asked the sports ministry to shut the investigation committee, Bangladesh state minister for youth and sports Aminul Haque announced that they will form another investigation committee to find out whether skipping the just-concluded ICC Twenty20 World Cup was a diplomatic failure.
The announcement will surely come as a big blow for the BCB higher-ups as well as current board president Aminul Islam, considering he played a key role in stopping Bangladesh from taking part in the showpiece event, citing security reasons. Bangladesh were eventually replaced by Scotland in the showpiece event.
Aminul, who had earlier insisted that he is keen on reviving the relationship with India, said that the inquiry committee will focus on identifying the root causes of the snub, with specific emphasis on finding out whether it was a failure on the sports diplomacy front.
"I have already spoken about these issues - why we could not participate in World Cup cricket and where exactly our shortcomings in sports diplomacy lay. These are matters we must thoroughly examine."
"Perhaps after Eid, I will form an inquiry committee (to find out the reason behind not taking part in the ICC T20 World Cup) and based on its findings, we will take the necessary steps," he said.
"In my view, we need to further strengthen our sports diplomacy because sports is a platform where, beyond all divisions and political ideologies, we can unite as a nation," he said.
"So, we must ensure that such mistakes are not repeated in the future and that through sports diplomacy, we maintain friendly relations and preserve a healthy sporting environment," he said.
Aminul added that they formed the investigation committee after receiving complaints from different stakeholders regarding irregularities in the last BCB election.
"At this point, I would like to mention that during the previous government's tenure, there was direct interference in the cricket board elections from the government's side - something you are all aware of. I myself spoke about this several times back then. But after we assumed responsibility, various complaints came in from stakeholders involved in cricket - from clubs and from district levels. Taking these into consideration, we formed an inquiry committee, and I am currently awaiting its report," Aminul said.
"As I mentioned earlier, specific directives have already been given to the inquiry committee through the National Sports Council. They have been instructed to speak with everyone involved in the election process - including the election commission, the current cricket board president, the directors, and the CEO," he said.
"They have also been asked to consult district administrators who sent councillors from their respective districts. In some cases, we have seen that district administrators initially nominated one councillor and later changed their decision by sending another letter."
"These are allegations and questionable issues that have come to our attention. In my opinion, these matters require a completely impartial investigation. Once the investigation is completed and the report is submitted, I will review it, consult with the members of the inquiry committee, and also speak directly with the ICC before taking any further steps," he added.
"Once the report is submitted, we will review it carefully and then, after speaking with the ICC, take the next course of action. Until then, I believe it is best not to comment further on this matter," he added.
