He was speaking at a press conference which followed the daylong Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of BCB at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka yesterday.

"I am hoping that this is my last AGM. The past five years have seen major developments in Bangladesh cricket," said Asghar.

"Certainly the situation is better than when I took charge five years ago because of our hard work. The performance of the team has been at the forefront of our efforts and they have done very well over the period."

He termed the tour of Bangladesh to Australia in July 2003 and a presentation, done by the former chairman of the development committee Arafat Rahman, to previous International Cricket Council (ICC) president Ehsan Mani and CEO Malcolm Speed during the preparation for hosting the Under-19 World Cup in 2004 as the two major 'turning points' during his period in office.

Bangladesh hosted the premier age-level tournament back in January 2004 and was also mentioned in the ICC Annual Report as the best-ever tournament in the history of all Under-19 tournaments, informed the Khulna lawmaker.

"We began with relatively lower fund back in 2001 when I took over but since then a FDR of Taka 40 crores and numerous sponsors actually shows how well he have done. We are making sure that we keep earning over the period of the next five years through ICC revenues in the shape of the World Cup, Champions Trophy and other earnings.

"We are also expecting a very encouraging TV deal very soon. I believe it would be five times higher then our last five-year deal.

"Besides, the country's image will be on display when we host the opening match of World Cup 2011," added Asghar. He also hoped that the proposed academy will be built beside the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium be completed in the near future.

Earlier, BCB general secretary Mahbubul Anam put forward the details of the annual general meeting at the briefing that took place just after iftar.

"This second AGM -- something that we pledged to be consistent with last year -- has been our chance to portray the overall picture to the councilors," said Anam.

"On the whole, the primary successes have been the performance of the national and under-19 teams as well as earning the right to host the opening match of the 2011 World Cup."

The richest sports body in the country expected revenue to be on the rise over the next fiscal years. It was observed that the increase in local and ICC revenue has caused the upturn in the surplus, which significantly increased than it was expected.

Mahabub also announced a revenue budget of Taka 47.18 crores against an inflated expenditure budget of Taka 67.41 crores for the 2006-07 Annual Global Budget. There is an existing reserve of 40 crores, half of which is expected to be spent over the fiscal period.

"We actually term the budget as conservative as we have taken only the minimum amount in every factor," said the BCB general secretary.

One of the encouraging signs of the budget is the provision given for player bonus which is based on winning performances. Last year, it was Taka one crore, but now the allotment has been heavily increased to Taka four crores.

The much-talked about television rights revenue has brought the board four million dollars, much of which came from India's tour to Bangladesh in December 2004. The board expects the same when India is here to play next year.

There were administrative changes as well. Except the grounds, tournament and Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM), all the other committee must now have a minimum of eleven members.

The women's wing, as advised by the ICC, has also been approved during the meeting as Bangladesh was the only nation not to have such a committee for women.

The governing body of cricket maintained its standard in all aspects, especially the financial side as the budget that has been proposed is bigger than any other sporting body. Clearly, the Asghar-led board has left the board in a much healthier financial and infrastructural base than ever before.