Bangladesh women’s cricket fast bowler Jahanara Alam has accused former selector Manzoor Islam of sexual harassment during the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup.
The cricketer said in a YouTube interview that she experienced repeated inappropriate behaviour and offensive advances and that senior officials ignored her complaints.
Jahanara, who stepped away from cricket because of mental health issues, said one member of team management made unethical proposals through a coordinator in 2021. She said the situation became worse when she refused.
“I tried to change the topic politely, but when I said no, the next day Manju bhai (Manzoor Islam) changed his behaviour toward me and tried to belittle me,” she said.
She added that the behaviour continued during the 2022 World Cup. Manzoor Islam tried to come close to her physically, she stated, and made offensive comments about her body.
“He put his hand on my shoulder, came too close and sometimes tried to hug me. All of us girls tried to avoid him,” she said. “Once he asked me, ‘How many days has it been since your period?’ I was shocked. I only said, ‘Sorry bhai, I didn’t understand.’”
Jahanara said she contacted several senior Bangladesh Cricket Board officials but received no action in response. She said she informed women’s committee head Nadil Chowdhury and BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury but nothing changed.
“They made inappropriate advances again and again,” she said. “When you work in a team, you cannot say everything openly. If your livelihood depends on it, it becomes difficult to protest.”
Manzoor Islam rejected all accusations. “I strongly deny these allegations. Ask other players what kind of a person I was,” he said. Another official named Babu also dismissed Jahanara’s claims and said she made up the story.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board responded to the interview and acknowledged the seriousness of the situation. BCB vice chairman Shakawat Hussain said the board will discuss the matter and decide the next steps.
“These allegations are very serious. We will sit together soon and decide what to do next. If needed, we will open a formal inquiry,” he said.
Jahanara is one of Bangladesh’s most experienced women’s cricketers. She represented her country for more than a decade in both ODI and T20 formats.
She played in several ICC Women’s World Cups and T20 World Cups and remained one of the team’s leading fast bowlers. She was also part of the Bangladesh squad that won the Women’s Asia Cup in 2018, the country’s first major international title in women’s cricket.