The Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), which represents professional cricket players in the nation, has elected Mohammad Mithun as its new president. Mithun defeated his opponent in the election, which was held on Thursday.
Following an unofficial annual general meeting in 2014, former Bangladesh captain Naimur Rahman and Debabrata Pal took over as CWAB’s leaders for almost ten years. However, the association was in difficulties after the previous government fell and Naimur Rahman vanished from public life as a result of legal issues. Earlier this year, a 13-member ad hoc committee headed by Selim Shahed was established to hold new elections in an effort to restore stability. Since current players took the initiative to alter the association’s destiny, the vote marked a watershed.
The election’s focal point was the presidential race, in which Mithun faced off against Selim Shahed, a current match referee and former cricket player. At the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, 190 of the 215 eligible voters cast ballots, and Mithun won by a margin of 154 to 34.
The fact that he won by a margin of 120 votes after two ballots were ruled invalid shows how strongly the players trusted his leadership.
Mithun underlined the necessity of harmony between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and CWAB after his victory.
“As I represent the cricket players, I have to watch out for their interests. According to Cricbuzz, Mithun stated after winning the CWAB presidency that “CWAB and BCB are like a family and there shouldn’t be any gaps there because BCB is like our guardian and we can always raise our demands to our guardian.”
The 11-member executive committee’s additional seats were filled without any opposition.
The remaining seats in the 11-member executive committee were filled without any opposition, but the presidential position was hotly contested. Current Bangladeshi wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan was appointed vice-president, while former opener Shahriar Hossain Bidyut was appointed senior vice-president. Imrul Kayes, Rumana Ahmed, Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, Irfan Sukkur, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Akbar Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, and Akbar Ali were also elected as executive members.
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The election process itself was a historic event that attracted both current and former participants, including well-known figures like Tamim Iqbal, who attended the proceedings despite resigning from a leadership position because of a conflict of interest.