Faruque Ahmed has said that the country's sports ministry has asked him to "not continue" in his role as Bangladesgh Cricket Board (BCB) president - Faruque was given the instruction during a meeting with the sports adviser Asif Mahmud on Wednesday. Faruque, though, is firm in his decision to not resign.
"The [sports] adviser hasn't told me to resign, but said they don't want me to continue," Faruque told ESPNcricinfo. "But I will not resign since I am an elected board president."
Faruque, a former Bangladesh captain, was elected BCB president on August 21 following the fall of the Awami League government in Bangladesh. Faruque was elected to the position by the remaining BCB directors after the National Sports Council, the country's apex sports body, nominated him and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim as their representatives in the board.
Faruque's time as the board president has been rocky. On his first day in charge, he threatened to remove Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe while the team was playing a Test series in Pakistan. A couple of months later, Hathurusinghe was removed in messy circumstances with Faruque announcing that the Sri Lankan was suspended pending investigation of an assault charge. He said at the same press conference that Phil Simmons would be the new coach. Hathurusinghe was fired the next day.
Faruque's handling of corruption allegations in the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League were also criticised. His clash with the sports adviser's secretary also made headlines, as did his public fallout with fellow board director Fahim.
Aminul Islam coaching China's under-19 cricket squad, Dhaka, November 14, 2009
Aminul Islam - here with the China Under-19s - has worn many hats in the cricket worldoGetty Images
The sports ministry hasn't declared a replacement for the
BCB director representative yet, former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam is their choice for the next
BCB president.
