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One: Free him of Test captaincy, Two: Have him bat at No. 6, where he’s shown he’s most comfortable

Firdose Moonda29-Jan-2021Now, we need to talk about Quinton de Kock.And we need to talk about review. The one just before lunch. The one where Kagiso Rabada hit Imran Butt on the back as he turned away from a ball that kept low and would’ve, quite clearly, missed leg stump. The one where everyone, including de Kock, appealed in jest. Then, with an expression that said ‘we’ve nothing to lose except another review’, he called for the DRS.Replays confirmed that even if leg stump had taken a walk to fourth or fifth stump, the ball still would have missed. De Kock’s record of successful reviews in this Test remained at zero. In the overall analysis of the Test, this moment may not even feature, but at the time, it said something. It said de Kock, even if he didn’t seem desperate, wasn’t tactically astute. In the first innings too, he reviewed after two errors, all more costly than the one dissected above.De Kock first used DRS against Azhar Ali in the first innings off an Anrich Nortje delivery with Pakistan on 35 for 4. It made sense to try and dislodge another and heap pressure. But the impact was outside off and Azhar survived. Mistakes happen.The second, also against Azhar, was off George Linde’s left-arm spin. Azhar had come forward to defend and it wasn’t conclusive if the ball hit the bat or the pad first. It was so inconclusive that even the third umpire could not take a decisive call. South Africa may have been unlucky to have lost the review, but they lost it nonetheless. You’d think that should have made de Kock more discerning about when to use the third review.He decided to call for Mohammed Rizwan off a Lungi Ngidi delivery that jagged back in and hit him on leg. At first glance, it seemed an optimistic appeal and replays showed it was missing leg by some distance. Pakistan were 156 for 5 at that point and South Africa had to bowl for another 50 overs without any reviews.Dean Elgar could be a captain in the medium term for South Africa•PCBAdd to that de Kock’s drop of Faheem Ashraf, when he moved too late to take what would have been Rabada’s 200th wicket, his rash stroke in the first innings, his asking of Aiden Markram, part-time offspinner, to bowl with the second new ball when it was just 10 overs old, some of the field settings during the Fawad and Faheem stand and the lack of accountability he showed afterwards. It’s fair to say this was not de Kock at his best.Asked what South Africa could do to avoid batting collapses, de Kock did not know. “If I knew I would let you know and if we knew how to fix them we wouldn’t be doing it in the first place,” he said. Then asked whether there was a way South Africa’s spinners could have done better, de Kock did not know, again. “If there is, I’d like to know how and what we didn’t do right.”Asked if there was something different South Africa could have done with their team selection, given the last minute injury to wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi and the wealth of seamers in the squad, de Kock did not know. “I haven’t really thought about it.”He acknowledged that South Africa’s first innings of 220 was not good enough and that it cost them the game – which it did – along with the 8 for 60 in the second innings. But the rest of his post-match assessment was uninspiring in its dourness. All that said, we need to cut de Kock some slack and see if the issue lies elsewhere.It’s only de Kock’s third Test as captain and he is in charge of a team that has won just three of their last 12 Tests. South Africa are also on a 13-Test streak without a win in Asia dating back to July 2014. He has been burdened with the leadership in all formats, is the wicket-keeper in all formats, and expectations on him as a batsman, and perhaps the most talented batsman in the line-up, to perform are high.Temba Bavuma batting below de Kock isn’t helping South Africa•PCBDe Kock is dealing with a lot and even though the team management insist they are taking as much as they can off de Kock’s hands  – Mark Boucher does more press engagements than previous coaches, for example – they may need to more, and do it quickly, starting with where de Kock bats.Since being promoted to No. 5 against England last January, de Kock has scored 160 runs in six innings. Add the 18 he made at Lord’s in 2017 in that spot, and he averages 29.33 at No. 5, below his overall average of 37.70 and well below the 49.87 in his most preferred No. 7 spot.South Africa’s reasons for batting de Kock at No.5 are obvious. He is an aggressive batsman who can easily wrest an advantage and so, they want him to have as much time in the middle as possible once a foundation has been laid. But that means they are left with a specialist batsman, Temba Bavuma in this case, batting lower than de Kock and often rendered largely ineffective because of the amount of time he spends with the lower-order.Bavuma has spent more than a fifth of his career batting with the tail, more than any other specialist batsman since his debut in 2014. That could be part of the reason he has only one Test century to his name – scored five years ago – and it could also be part of the reason he bats ultra conservatively when we know he can be more proactive. His 40 in the second innings here showed him to be technically sound, adept against the spinners and at times, urgent.Given the statistical evidence and the cricketing logic, it would seem South Africa have a simple fix. Switch de Kock and Bavuma’s batting positions so that their captain, wicket-keeper and best batsman is positioned where he is most comfortable and their specialist can do his job.But there are also other things South Africa can do to lessen de Kock’s load; one of the things that is sure to enter the conversation is to release him from the captaincy. That would require South Africa to make either another temporary appointment or to look at a medium-to-long term solution based on what they’ve seen from the candidates so far. And if the latter is what they go with, then Dean Elgar is the frontrunner to take over.His current hand injury aside, and luckily for him it’s not a fracture but severe bruising, Elgar appears available and in the right kind of form to lead by example and probably should have been considered as soon as du Faf Plessis stood down last January. Since 2016, Elgar has been the most prolific opening batsman in world cricket, with more runs and more hundreds than anyone else. He is the most experienced player in the squad apart from du Plessis and is arguably the most dogged. He has even indicated it’s a job he wants to do.At 33, Elgar could play for another four or five years and can lead South Africa through their transition. That would also give them the stability to move on to someone like Aiden Markram, long thought to be the captain-in-waiting, or someone else, but it would make sense to give the job to Elgar now. But not right now.It probably won’t be a good look or good for team and individual morale for South Africa to change captains mid-series so de Kock should continue to lead the team in Rawalpindi. The only way to relieve him there would be to bring in Kyle Verreynne to keep wickets, in place of the allrounder, or move him down the order to No.7.But when de Kock returns home with the Test side after their match on February 8, he should do so knowing someone else will take the reins for Australia, a series that has historically been hard-fought on and off the field.If that happens that will not mean de Kock is any less of a player or any less important to South Africa. In fact, the opposite. It will mean he is so crucial that someone has talked about him and decided he needs to be looked after better,

With the 2025 MLB trade deadline upon us, there are some teams expected to take bigger swings than others as they look to gear up for a postseason push.

Different front offices face different amounts of pressure to improve their rosters in the pursuit of success. Some teams are stuck in a lengthy World Series drought that fans are eager to see end, while others have the make-up of contenders and are simply missing a piece or two.

Regardless of why, there will be a few front offices in the market for a seismic move, and we'll take a look at what organizations may be feeling the most pressure to make a big splash before Thursday's deadline.

New York Yankees

Suffice it to say, Orlando Hernández faced some heavy challenges in his life before coming to America to become a reliable MLB player and four-time World Series winner. Hernández defected Cuba in 1997 after becoming one of the most dominant pitchers in the country.

The details of his defection are hard to hear. He boarded a boat on Christmas Day in 1997. As the story has been told, he and others went from Cuba to Anguilla Cay on a 30-foot fishing boat after attending a wedding earlier in the day. A small transfer boat was supposed to take them the rest of the way, but it never showed, and he and the others had to survive on minimal food and with makeshift shelter for days before a helicopter spotted them. A boat finally showed, but took them to the Bahamas and were detained, not America where they intended to go. To make a long story short, Hernández was able to gain some press thanks in part to his brother's status as a pitcher in America and eventually got to America as a free man. The full story is wild, told well by Russ Speiller of SABR.

Thursday night, the Yankees broadcast on YES looked back on one of his most famous plays on its anniversary: When Hernández threw his entire glove to first base for an out because a ball got stuck in it.

YES play-by-play voice Michael Kay reminisced a bit on the pitcher, specifically telling a story about when he was on a baseball cruise with him. The seas were rough, and someone asked Hernández whether he was scared.

"[Hernández] goes, 'Do you know my story?'" Kay said of the response to the question.

Yeah, a choppy cruise is probably a cake walk compared to what Hernández had to go through to to get to America and start his successful MLB career. Quite the silly question in retrospect, but who can blame a nervous cruise passenger for trying to spark some conversation to distract from the rough waters?

And what an awesome answer from Hernández.

Birmingham Phoenix have appointed Shane Bond as their new men’s head coach on a two-year deal. Bond, the former New Zealand fast bowler, will replace his compatriot Daniel Vettori, who is set to join the newly-rebranded Sunrisers Leeds as Andrew Flintoff’s successor.Bond is a highly-rated coach within the franchise world who has worked as an IPL bowling coach for the last decade, with both Mumbai Indians (2015-22) and Rajasthan Royals (since 2023). He has also previously worked as a head coach, with experience at Paarl Royals in the SA20 and Sydney Thunder in the BBL.His appointment marks the first major change at Phoenix under their new ownership model, with the franchise now run jointly by Warwickshire and the American investment firm Knighthead Capital, which also owns Birmingham City Football Club.James Thomas, who joined Warwickshire from Manchester City as performance director in June, has emerged as a key figure at Phoenix and ran the recruitment process for a new coach after Vettori’s departure.”We’re thrilled to appoint Shane as head coach,” Thomas said. “His elite coaching experience, proven success in global franchise leagues, and passion for player development will be a major asset.”Throughout a competitive selection process, his vision, tactical insight, and ability to build high-performing environments really stood out. He understands the demands of modern franchise cricket and what it takes to perform at the highest level.”Bond had a brief stint as an overseas player at Warwickshire in 2002, taking 12 wickets in four appearances, and said that he has a “strong connection to the club and the city of Birmingham” as a result.”I know what it means to walk out onto the Edgbaston pitch and represent the people in the stands,” Bond said. “I want to instil that into our players and create an environment which breeds success… I want my team to play a fearless, exciting brand of cricket which ultimately delivers success for the Birmingham Phoenix.”Bond’s appointment extends Phoenix’s New Zealand connection, with Vettori signing Trent Boult, Adam Milne and Tim Southee as his three overseas players last season. It remains to be seen whether any of them will return for 2026, with teams only permitted to make a maximum of four signings and retentions before the inaugural auction in March.There has already been significant movement among men’s Hundred coaches as new investors make their mark on the tournament: Andy Flower has joined London Spirit from Trent Rockets, Tom Moody has left Oval Invincibles for a global role with Lucknow Super Giants (including the Manchester franchise) and Flintoff has left Sunrisers after turning down a new contract.Vettori is expected to be confirmed as Flintoff’s replacement in the coming days, while former Hampshire coach Adi Birrell is set to take charge of Sunrisers’ women after coaching Southern Brave men in 2025.

South-coast club handed reprieve by Durham after Rahul Chahar takes ten in the match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay27-Sep-2025Surrey 147 (Washington 3-5, Abbott 3-27, Fuller 3-46) and 281 (Albert 63, Abbott 5-72) beat Hampshire 248 (Washington 56) and 160 (Orr 48, Chahar 8-51) by 20 runsHampshire were given an unlikely reprieve from relegation to Rothesay County Championship Division Two after Durham fell apart at Yorkshire.The south-coast county were resigned to the drop after losing to Surrey by 20 runs, which left Durham only requiring a draw at Headingley. But they sensationally slumped to 85 all out to allow Hampshire to stay in Division One for the 2026 season.Ironically, Hampshire’s last brush with the drop, in 2016, saw them finish in the relegation places but be reinstated after Durham were sent down over financial issues.Surrey only needed one wicket on the final day, which Rahul Chahar managed with the 42nd delivery of the day when he had James Fuller caught behind. In doing so, the India spinner claimed a career-best 8 for 51 – Surrey’s third best bowling figures of the 21st century – and ten wickets in the match.The defeat, with relegation seemingly nailed on, looked like it would compound Hampshire’s horror September. The county had been deducted eight points in the Championship for breaching the ECB’s pitch regulations, before losing in two men’s finals and a women’s final.They also saw popular head coach Adi Birrell announce he would leave the club after seven years at the helm. The South African was gifted a bull for his farm back in his homeland by the players on the final morning of the Surrey match.Instead of Hampshire, Durham will now join Worcestershire in playing in Division Two next season.Ben Brown, who took over the four-day captaincy at short notice after James Vince stepped away from red-ball cricket before the start of the season, said it had been “a really challenging year”, topped off by the Cricket Discipline Panel’s decision to dock points for a poor Utilita Bowl pitch in May – described by Brown as “unjust”.”It has been a really challenging year, off the field as well as on it,” Brown said. “There has been a lot to manage.”Then there is the points deduction on the wicket, which I stand by that it was unjust. That I feel difficult to cope with as a player. People work hard in professional sport and to have essentially clipboard stuff take eight points off us… You want sport to be decided as sport not someone deciding whether grass is right or wrong.”We have been playing under pressure for the last month with no time to think or train, and it has ended up with us losing two finals and looks like we will be going down. Everyone will need time to get their head around it before making a plan to make things better.”Requiring 33 runs to beat Surrey, 32 runs – ie. a tie – would likely have been enough to see Hampshire them remain in Division One on their own steam.Fuller and Brad Wheal were the only Hampshire batters left – the former had shaken off the collapse and dealt with Chahar carefully for 29, while Wheal had stoically blocked 22 balls before bad light brought an unsatisfactory end to the third day, and left plenty with a sleepless night.Chahar bowled the first over of the day and Fuller almost edged the first ball. A swept four eased the nerves, before Wheal nicked his first delivery to first slip – but it narrowly fell short.Fuller and Wheal looked at ease, albeit turning down a bounty of singles, until Fuller attempted to cut Chahar and edged behind to Ben Foakes.Only Kemar Roach’s 8 for 40, and Martin Bicknell’s 9 for 45 were better since the turn of the Millennium. Chahar, on Championship debut, also took ten wickets in the match.”A lot of the disappointment was last night and then today there was just a small chance in a tough situation for Fuller. It was more runs than it looked and was a tall order today,” Brown said. “We should have made a better fist of it. The new hard ball spun quite a lot and we didn’t deal with it. We were a lot of pressure in the run chase and we couldn’t stem the tide of wickets in the middle of the innings.”

Nottinghamshire 282 for 3 (Haynes 124, Hameed 58*) beat Glamorgan 278 for 9 (Byrom 62, Root 56) by seven wicketsJack Haynes starred with a century as Notts Outlaws kept their qualification chances at arm’s length with a comfortable run chase against winless defending champions Glamorgan.The 24-year-old Haynes struck a well-timed 124 with some late acceleration to chase the sub-par 278 for 9 set by the hosts.Ben Slater and Haseeb Hameed played supporting roles in the seven-wicket win, the latter combining with Haynes for a 141-run third-wicket stand.Eddie Byrom notched up back-to-back half-centuries with 62 while Billy Root also passed 50 to hold together the Glamorgan innings. One positive for the winless side was 18-year-old Romano Franco picking up a first professional wicket at the third time of asking.After being inserted, Glamorgan got off to a racing start, as has tended to be their way in this competition. Byrom and Asa Tribe’s 71-run opening stand left Notts’ bowling attack – hit by the absence of players in the Hundred – with cause for concern before Tribe’s fun was ended by 18-year-old debutant Byron Hatton-Lowe.Byrom, the steadier of the two openers in terms of strike rate, continued calmly as he watched on for Henry Hurle, playing a first Glamorgan game of 2025, to be dismissed.Kiran Carlson was unable to kick on, as was Will Smale who suffered a ball-watching run out to leave the hosts with just five wickets in hand with more than 20 overs to bat, a theme too common in their campaign.Root held the fort in a knock of few boundaries for 56 before Dan Douthwaite’s blistering cameo added some impetus, the hosts still left short.Zain Ul Hassan was able to contain in a seven-over new-ball spell while Ned Leonard leaked at the other end, Slater enjoying a rather comfortable start.After Ben Martindale was dismissed, a period of experience was due with Slater and Haynes adding 75 before Hameed struck an unbeaten 58 to ice the run chase.Franco impressed in his 10 overs but poor fielding, including a drop by Andy Gorvin with Haynes on 68 proved costly.Tribe followed as the third player in the game to take a first wicket for his club, after Hatton-Lowe and Franco, although the damage was done.

Juventus are eyeing a move for Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand in the upcoming winter transfer window. The Bianconeri had shown interest in the Danish midfielder during the summer, but Sporting rejected their approach, as well as a reported offer from Manchester United. Juventus are also monitoring Sandro Tonali and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as alternative options.

• Sporting CP rebuff interest in Hjulmand

  According to , Hjulmand has a €60 million (£50m/$72m) release clause in his contract, which has drawn interest from several top European clubs. Juventus have been closely monitoring the Danish midfielder as an alternative to Douglas Luiz, viewing him as a strong addition to bolster their midfield. However, they were unable to make a move for Hjulmand as they needed to offload Luiz first to finance the transfer. 

  Meanwhile, United have already made an approach, submitting a €40m (£34m/$46m) offer in the summer that Sporting promptly rejected. United manager Ruben Amorim, who previously coached Hjulmand at Sporting, is reportedly keen to reunite with the midfielder at Old Trafford. The club sees Hjulmand as an ideal fit for their system and a potential alternative to Brighton's Carlos Baleba, who has also been on their radar. United are expected to return with an improved offer as they look to strengthen their midfield ahead of the next transfer window.

  Juventus are planning to make a significant investment in midfield, either in the upcoming January transfer window or in the summer of 2026. Juve to structure the deal by taking the player on loan with an option or obligation to buy, allowing them to defer the payment and manage their finances more effectively.

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  Juventus eyeing alternatives

  One of Juventus’ alternatives to Hjulmand is Newcastle United midfielder Tonali. The Italian spent three successful seasons at AC Milan, where he played a crucial role in helping the club win the Serie A title. His consistent performances made him one of Italy’s most promising midfielders, leading to a 2023 transfer to Newcastle. Since joining the Premier League side, Tonali has become a key figure in Eddie Howe’s midfield, playing an instrumental role in Newcastle’s qualification for the Champions League last season. However Given his importance to the team and his long-term potential, Newcastle are unlikely to part ways with Tonali easily, making any potential transfer a difficult and expensive pursuit for interested clubs.

  Another potential target is Milinkovic-Savic, who currently plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. The Serbian midfielder’s contract with the club runs until 2028, making any move challenging for interested European sides. Before his transfer to Saudi Arabia in 2023, Milinkovic-Savic spent eight successful seasons at Lazio, where he established himself as one of Serie A’s top midfielders and won two Coppa Italia titles. His experience and physical presence make him an attractive option for clubs like Juventus. However, his current salary poses a major obstacle with the midfielder reportedly earning around €20m net per year (£17m/$23m) at Al-Hilal, a figure that would be extremely difficult for Juventus to match under their current financial structure.

  Another option could be Franck Kessie of Al-Ahli, who is reportedly open to a return to Europe. Juventus showed interest in signing the Ivorian midfielder during the summer transfer window, but his high salary of €10m (£9m/$11m) per year proved to be a major obstacle.

• New horizons for Juventus after change in coach

  Juventus began the season strongly, winning their first three matches, including a thrilling 4-3 victory over Inter in the Derby d’Italia. However, their momentum started to fade after a 4-4 draw against Borussia Dortmund, which marked the beginning of a difficult run. Following that match, Juventus drew five games, including the one against Borussia Dortmund, and went on to lose three consecutive fixtures. Worryingly, the team failed to score in their last four matches during this poor spell, raising concerns about their attacking form. As a result, the club decided to part ways with Igor Tudor and appointed Luciano Spalletti as the new head coach. Spalletti’s arrival brought an immediate boost, as Juventus secured a much-needed 2-1 win over Cremonese in his first match.

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  Juventus and Sporting go head-to-head

  Juventus are set to face Sporting today in the Champions League as they look to build on their recent victory under new manager Spalletti. The Italian coach will aim to make it two wins out of two since taking charge. The match will also give Juventus a chance to closely monitor their transfer target Hjulmand, as they get a first-hand look at the midfielder’s qualities.

Alex Carey’s previous day of Test cricket at Lord’s was interesting. So was this one against South Africa.Missing a reverse sweep against Keshav Maharaj, and then spilling a regulation edge offered by Wiaan Mulder meant he was in the spotlight. However, Australia’s strong finish, which left them ahead of the game despite being restricted to 212, has perhaps lessened the significance of the two moments.The reverse sweep has been a regular theme of Carey’s career. A few years ago, his wife, Eloise, made clear her thoughts on it. “My wife is the harshest critic of the reverse. She says, ‘don’t play the bloody reverse sweep, not again’,” Carey joked in 2022 when it was a focal point of a tour of Sri Lanka. “But I just politely tell her, ‘you haven’t played the game; yes, you’re going to get out to reverse sweeps and sweeps… but it can also produce some success as well’.”Related

• South Africa's trial by paralysis epitomises the Bazball fallacy

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His decision to play it when he did on the opening day at Lord’s will come under scrutiny. He used it to excellent effect in Sri Lanka earlier this year, but conditions at Lord’s were certainly not Galle. From 192 for 5, and the prospect of reaching 300 if he and Beau Webster could continue under clearing skies, suddenly turned into a lower-order collapse of 5 for 20 from 34 balls.But there was a gap in the field and, as for so many modern players, Carey sees it as just another of his shots. It went wrong, but it’s unlikely to stop him doing it again if he feels the moment is right.Carey’s numbers with the reverse sweep illustrate the risk-reward factor. In Test cricket, he has scored at more than a-run-a-ball with it (129 runs from 113 balls) and been dismissed on six occasions.Alex Carey loses his stumps to Keshav Maharaj attempting a reverse sweep•AFP/Getty Images

Since ending a period of limited returns with a series-winning, unbeaten 98 in New Zealand last year, Carey has been on a wonderful run across formats, so there is plenty of credit in the bank. He has also been outstanding behind the stumps, which made his dropped catch perhaps the more surprising mis-step.In the fifth over of South Africa’s innings, Mulder edged a drive against Mitchell Starc, Carey only had to move fractionally to his right but the ball burst through his gloves. Starc had started celebrating in anticipation of the wicket but had to hastily abort.”I think it was just one of those ones that swung a little bit on him, which can happen with the Dukes ball,” Steven Smith said. “You quite often see the ball go past the bat and swing late. It was one of those ones that just swung a little bit on him and got himself in a bit of an awkward position with where it got to his chest.Alex Carey started at a high tempo•ICC/Getty Images

“It’s a tricky place to catch behind the wicket sometimes when the ball does that. He’s been keeping so well the last two years. We’re all allowed to drop one every now and again.”Meanwhile, Smith did not expect batting to become too much easier as the game progresses after the opening day produced 14 wickets, nine of which came in the last session.”It might take a bit more spin as the game wears on,” he said. “It’s pretty dry. The seam might go down as the game goes on as well, potentially. I think the bounce is going to be variable throughout the game, as we’ve seen already on day one.”I think we’re in a good spot, we probably had a few missed opportunities with the bat to try and get a bigger total but I think the wicket’s offered something all day as we’ve seen and we’re in a pretty good position, 169 in front when they’re four down. Hopefully it does a little bit in the morning like it did today.”

Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud has said that the ICC welcomed the change in leadership in the BCB after they were communicated of the decision. On Friday, the BCB’s board of directors elected Aminul Islam as the new president after the sports ministry removed Faruque Ahmed as its representative.”We have properly contacted the ICC. The new president also worked in the ICC for a long time,” Asif said in a press briefing in Dhaka on Saturday. “There’s no communication gap. ICC knows the situation here, so they have welcomed the decision.”Asif said that Faruque didn’t perform well in the nine months that he was in charge, while he was also linked to irregularities in the sports ministry’s fact-finding committee report. Eight BCB directors also sent a no-confidence motion against Faruque, which the sports ministry considered in its decision as well, Asif added.”We have seen in the report from the BPL’s fact-finding committee that there were instances of irregularity and negligence of responsibility,” he said. “We found Faruque’s link with them. Eight out of the nine BCB directors sent the NSC (the National Sports Council) a no-confidence motion.”Related

• Anatomy of a fall: How the BCB presidency changed hands

• Aminul Islam elected new BCB president

• Faruque Ahmed removed as BCB president

The BCB constitution allows the sports ministry to have a quota of five councillors (members) and two board directors. The ministry had nominated Faruque and Nazmul Abedeen Fahim as their directors on August 21 last year, shortly after which the BCB directors unanimously elected Faruque as the new president. Nine months later, the ministry removed Faruque, and replaced him with Aminul. Asif said that the ministry has the right to pick and drop their nomination as councillor or director.”I spoke to Faruque personally. It is not like we removed him because we found corruption charges against him,” he said. “It is totally performance-based. Just like a selection committee wouldn’t pick an out-of-form player, it is the same for us.”NSC has the jurisdiction to give or take a [BCB director] nomination. We didn’t remove the president. We took his directorship, which is why his presidency was gone. We nominated another director. The board followed the ICC guideline and BCB constitution to elect the next president.”Asif said that Faruque’s decision-making during the BPL, particularly in selecting the Durbar Rajshahi franchise for the 2025 edition, was costly. He said that the payment issue was so embarrassing that Dr Muhammad Yunus, the country’s Chief Advisor, didn’t attend the BPL final.”The BPL’s fact-finding committee spoke to BPL’s stakeholders, including Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the BPL’s member-secretary. The sports ministry had informed our concerns about the owners of Durbar Rajshahi,” Asif said. “[Selecting them as a franchise] was an individual’s decision. In the end, even the government had to be involved to solve the players’ payment and hotel bill issue of that team. It was an undesirable situation. Our head of government couldn’t attend the BPL final, which was quite shameful for everyone.”