Jahanara Alam is alleged to have been abused by former Bangladesh coach during the 2022 World Cup. (Getty Images) The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Thursday that it will set up a committee to investigate allegations leveled by fast bowler Jahanara Alam regarding misconduct 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 address the serious nature of the allegations.Jahanara Alam, who currently lives in Australia, revealed in an interview with journalist Riasad Azim that the former selector, who served as 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 have faced (indecent suggestion) several times, not once. Definitely, when we are involved with the team, we can’t talk about many things even if we want to. When it comes to your bread and butter, when few people know you, you can’t say many things or protest even if you want to,” Jahanara told Azim’s YouTube channel.The fast bowler, who has represented Bangladesh in 135 matches, also alleged that several BCB officials misbehaved with her. It said it had reported the incidents to former BCB director Shafiul Islam Nadel and the board’s CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury.“In 2021, Towhid Bhai approached me through Babu Bhai (coordinator Sarfaraz Babu). I have said this many times. I don’t know why they misbehaved with me. I tried to keep quiet and concentrate on cricket. But when I tactfully avoided the suggestion, Manju Bhai started humiliating me and insulting me on video the very next day. “Jahanara.“Towhid Bhai never spoke to me directly – he sent Babu Bhai instead. After about a year and a half, I sent an ‘Observation Letter’, not a complaint, explaining everything to the CEO. Babu Bhai told me to ‘take care of Towhid, sir’, but I replied, ‘He is in charge, what should I take care of?’ I deliberately pretended not to understand the suggestion. I am sharing this so that other girls can also protect themselves in this way. That’s when Manju Bhai’s misbehavior started.”“The second suggestion came from Manju Bhai during the 2022 World Cup. I decided to inform BCB about everything that happened in the last year and a half. I told Nadel Sir several times – he will offer a temporary fix, but soon things went back to normal. I even informed the CEO.”Jahanara revealed that Manjurul had a tendency to get too close to female players. Many of them began to avoid him because of this habit.“During our pre-camp, when I was bowling, he came over and put his hand on my shoulder. He had a habit of pulling girls to him, pressing them to his chest and talking in their ears. We avoided him – even when shaking hands after games, we held our hands out at a distance so he couldn’t pull us in. We joked nervously with each other, he came over, hugged us again.”Narrating the incident, Jahanara said the former selector came too close and asked about her menstrual cycle.“Once he approached me, held my hand, put his arm on my shoulder, leaned to my ear and asked: How many days do you have your period?” He already knew because physios monitor players’ cycles for health reasons as per ICC guidelines. I don’t know why the manager or selector needed this information. When I said, “Five days,” he said, “Five days? It was supposed to end yesterday. When your period is over, tell me—I have to take care of my hip, too.” I just looked at him and said, ‘Sorry Bhaiya, I didn’t understand.’Manjurul dismisses allegations as ‘baseless’Manjurul categorically denied the allegations, calling them “baseless”. “What can I say except that he called it baseless. You can ask other cricketers whether I was good or bad,” Manjurul told Cricbuzz.“It is unfortunate that she is dragging a dead man. I just want her to come up with evidence instead of making baseless allegations,” said Babu.“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has noted with concern the allegations made in the media by a former member of the Bangladesh National Women’s Cricket Team regarding alleged misconduct by some persons associated with the team,” BCB said in an official statement.“Given that this is a sensitive matter, BCB has decided to form a committee to thoroughly investigate the allegations. The committee will submit its findings and recommendations within 15 working days. BCB is committed to providing a safe, respectful and professional environment for all its players and staff. The board takes such matters with the utmost seriousness and will take appropriate action based on the results 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 dismissed these earlier allegations as “baseless”.Jahanara Alam established herself as a major player in Bangladesh women’s cricket, taking 48 wickets in ODIs and 60 wickets in T20Is during her career. Her achievements go beyond domestic cricket as she is the only Bangladeshi player to have participated in both the Women’s T20 Challenge in India and the FairBreak Invitational T20.
