Mohammad Mithun Takes Helm as CWAB President in Landmark Election

Bangladesh middle-order batter Mohammad Mithun has been elected president of the Cricketers' Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) on Thursday.

CWAB, who are representing the professional players of the country, had the election after the previous leadership group headed by former national skipper Naimur Rahman was dissolved following the fall of the previous government.

Naimur Rahman and Debabrata Pal took charge of CWAB post an unofficial annual general meeting in 2014 and since then they were running the activities of the organization. Naimur, who is currently in jail, disappeared from public life following the fall of the last government as he was very much part of it and as a result his post was vacated as CWAB president.

In March, an ad hoc 13-member committee headed by Selim Shahed was formed to oversee fresh elections. Mithun, 34, defeated former national cricketer and current match referee Selim Shahed by 154 votes to 34 in Thursday's ballot at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Academy in Dhaka.

"I have to look after the interest of the cricketers as I am representing them," Mithun said after being elected as CWAB president. "CWAB and BCB is like a family and there shouldn't be any gap there as BCB is like our guardian and we can always raise our demand to our guardian," he said.

Only the presidential post was contested in Thursday's vote. Former opener Shahriar Hossain Bidyut was elected unopposed as senior vice-president while current Bangladesh wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan became vice-president.

National stars Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Akbar Ali, Rumana Ahmed, Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, Irfan Sukkur, former captain Khaled Mashud Pilot and Imrul Kayes were all elected unopposed as executive members.

CWAB new executive committee:

President: Mohammad Mithun

Senior Vice-President: Shahriar Hossain Bidyut

Vice-President: Nurul Hasan Sohan

Members: Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Akbar Ali, Rumana Ahmed, Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, Irfan Sukkur, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Imrul Kayes