The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Thursday that it will establish a committee to investigate allegations made by fast bowler Jahanara Alam regarding inappropriate behaviour by a former selector during the 2022 ODI World Cup. The board has given the committee 15 working days to submit its findings and recommendations, demonstrating its commitment to addressing the serious nature of these allegations.Jahanara Alam, who currently resides in Australia, revealed in an interview with journalist Riasad Azim that a former selector, who served as both selector and manager of the women’s team, behaved inappropriately towards her. She specifically mentioned that the individual asked her lewd questions during their interactions.“I faced several times (indecent proposal), not once. Definitely, when we are involved with the team, we cannot speak out about many things, even if we want to. When it comes to your bread and butter, when you are known by a few people, you cannot say or protest many things even if you want to,” Jahanara told Azim’s YouTube channel.The fast bowler, who has represented Bangladesh in 135 matches, also alleged that multiple BCB officials acted inappropriately with her. She stated that she had reported these incidents to former BCB director Shafiul Islam Nadel and the board’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury.“In 2021, Towhid Bhai approached me through Babu Bhai (Coordinator Sarfaraz Babu). I’ve said this many times before. I don’t know why they misbehaved with me. I tried hard to stay quiet and focus on cricket. But when I tactfully avoided the proposal, Manju Bhai began humiliating and insulting me from the very next day,” Jahanara said in the video.“Towhid Bhai never spoke to me directly – he sent Babu Bhai instead. After about a year and a half, I submitted an ‘Observation Letter’ to the CEO, not a complaint, explaining everything. Babu Bhai had told me to ‘look after Towhid Sir,’ but I replied, ‘He’s the in-charge, what is there for me to look after?’ I deliberately pretended not to understand the proposal. I’m sharing this so that other girls can also protect themselves this way. That’s when Manju Bhai’s bad behaviour started.”“The second proposal came from Manju Bhai during the 2022 World Cup. I decided to inform the BCB about everything that had happened over the past year and a half. I told Nadel Sir several times – he’d offer a temporary fix, but soon things went back to the same. I even informed the CEO.”Jahanara revealed that Manjurul had the tendency of getting too close to female players. Many of them started avoiding him because of this habit.“During our pre-camp, while I was bowling, he came up and placed his hand on my shoulder. He had a habit of pulling girls close, pressing them to his chest, and talking near their ears. We used to avoid him – even during handshakes after matches, we would extend our hands from a distance so he couldn’t pull us in. Among ourselves, we’d joke nervously, ‘He’s coming, he’ll hug us again.'”Narrating an incident, Jahanara said that the former selector came too close and asked about her period cycle.“Once he came near me, held my hand, put his arm on my shoulder, leaned close to my ear, and asked, ‘How many days has your period been?’ He already knew, since physios track players’ cycles for health reasons as per ICC guidelines. I don’t know why a manager or selector needed that information. When I said, ‘Five days,’ he replied, ‘Five days? It should’ve ended yesterday. When your period is over, tell me – I have to look after my side too.‘ I just looked at him and said, ‘Sorry, Bhaiya, I didn’t understand.'”Manjurul denies allegations as ‘baseless’Manjurul has categorically denied these allegations, calling them ‘baseless’. “What can I say apart from terming it as baseless. You can ask other cricketers whether I was good or bad” Manjurul told Cricbuzz.“It’s unfortunate she is dragging a dead man. I just want her to come up with proof instead of making baseless accusations,” said Babu.“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has noted with concern the allegations reported in the media made by a former member of the Bangladesh national women’s cricket team regarding alleged misconduct by certain individuals associated with the team,” the BCB stated in their official release.“As the matter is of a sensitive nature, the BCB has decided to form a committee to investigate the allegations thoroughly. The committee will submit its findings and recommendations within 15 working days. The BCB is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and professional environment for all its players and personnel. The board takes such matters with utmost seriousness and will take appropriate action based on the findings of the investigation.“These recent allegations follow Jahanara’s previous claims where she accused Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana of physically abusing her teammates. The BCB had dismissed these earlier allegations as “baseless.”Jahanara Alam has established herself as a significant player in Bangladesh women’s cricket, taking 48 wickets in ODIs and 60 wickets in T20Is throughout her career. Her achievements extend beyond national cricket, as she holds the distinction of being the only Bangladesh player to have participated in both the Women’s T20 Challenge in India and the FairBreak Invitational T20.
