Tamim Iqbal's BCB Election Gambit: A Missed Opportunity or Political Miscalculation?

Did Tamim Iqbal miss a trick? - that has been the million-dollar question following the controversial Bangladesh Cricket Board election that saw Aminul Islam getting re-elected without much resistance, thanks to the backing he got from the government. The twists and turns of the election made it a political circus, as expected. Iqbal hardly showed the patience required to succeed as an administrator.

The question became even more relevant when a journalist asked organiser Rafiqul Islam Babu, who was on the dais on Wednesday (October 8) alongside the left-handed batter during the boycott announcement, whether he could explain his position given that he had been with Iqbal throughout his journey but changed sides the day Iqbal withdrew from the election, alleging government interference - a claim dismissed by the BCB election commission.

Iqbal's smile at the question said more than a thousand words. It raised another question: did Iqbal have the right people around him when he mapped out his entry into administration?

Many within the cricket fraternity believe he was surrounded by the same people on the dais when he was planning his campaign. That, they argue, was a fatal mistake, since others didn't take kindly to his holding meetings with different groups rather than bringing everyone into one election camp.

The situation became more complicated when the son of a BNP leader (the country's main opposition party) joined him in the race. That only reinforced the perception that Iqbal represented certain political groups rather than the broader cricketing community.

Former national players like Naimur Rahman, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan also paid a price for a similar mistake - being seen as aligned with political parties rather than standing for the country as a whole. BNP leaders claim that nominating Iqbal as their candidate backfired, since they were outplayed by the government's moves to clear the path for Aminul.

Iqbal and others eventually withdrew from the election after 15 clubs were barred from voting, instead of holding their patience until September 5, when a court order reinstated those clubs' voting rights.

Asif Mahmud, Bangladesh's sports advisor and widely regarded as the mastermind behind the election manipulation, posted on his official Facebook page after the court order, suggesting Iqbal had blundered.

"Today the BCB election is taking place and after lot of obstacles BCB and the ministry could hold the election as per the constitution. There were lots of controversy regarding the 15 clubs but still the court gave them back the right to vote. After the first verdict if the nominees did not withdraw in a hurry like an amateur, the election could have been nicer but later when they realized their mistake it was too late," Asif wrote on September 6.

At a DOCCA press conference, Iqbal was asked if he felt he had missed the bus by not waiting for the court verdict before pulling out. The former national captain rejected the suggestion.

"I am sure you all have ideas about me and there are lots of councilliors here... do you really think whether the 15 clubs stays or not, if I really contested in the election no one would vote for me? For me getting into the bus (election) or not was never an option. For me what was important was that there should be a fair election for everyone and that is the stand that I have taken," Iqbal said.

"I can guarantee that if I had contested individually no matter which team is for me and against me, even then I could have easily passed as I don't have any doubt about it. Because I believe like he said (pointing his fingers towards an independent candidate) that he is not in any quorum, but you can ask him if my name was in the ballot paper, whether he would have voted for me or not. Personally contested, I would have easily won. I had no team or opposition issues; I was confident I could have passed even with this quorum. There were no political party influences. We were all here for the sake of cricket," he said.

"At the end of the day, everyone wanted 12 or 25 such people to come who could help cricket in some way. Thinking in that line, the voting is conducted and we wanted the voting to take place. We did not want there should be any selection here so whether I missed the bus or not is not a matter for me because I was very confident that I could have won," he added.

In cricket, Iqbal often managed to bounce back after early setbacks. But in cricket politics, which dominates his backyard, he seemed to be driven more by emotion than strategy - and paid for it. Whether he can stage a comeback remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: whether he admits it or not, he missed the bus. Some of his peers boarded quietly, proving they were smarter and more mature in choosing their moments.

Iqbal could take a leaf out of the book of former cricketers Abdur Razzak and Khaled Mashud, who joined the board as directors for the first time. And then there's Aminul Islam and Faruque Ahmed, the latter proving the oft-used cliche everything is fair in love and war, having been dumped by the government only to be brought back into the boardroom later.