Sports Desk: Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman joins the party. The left-arm pacer informed that he will speak with the Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hassan Papon directly regarding his Test future when the board officials decided to sit with him to discuss his Test future.
It once again proves that there is something wrong with the existing system in place considering national cricketers – top cricketers precisely – are paying no heed to follow any chain of commands.
Players currently feel that there is no point in giving any damn to other board members when they can have the most powerful man in their pocket.
It didn’t happen overnight considering the BCB boss since beginning his tenure in 2012 always remained enthusiastic to come forward whenever any national cricketer approached him for their respective problem and that included some non-cricketing issues as well.
In the long run, it put the whole system into a mess as nowadays everyone – from the national cricketers to members of the coaching staff – knows that he doesn’t have to be accountable for anything if he can manage the man at the top.
Former BCB Cricket Operation Chairman Akram Khan more often surrendered to the media when he was asked about any issue regarding Shakib Al Hasan, who is known to be the trendsetter in such matters being the biggest celebrity.
“Please ask Papon bhai about him (Shakib). I can’t say anything as he is dealing with him directly,” Akram uttered such words when his attention was drawn that only suggested he had no power despite being entrusted to look after their welfare.
Naimur Rahman Durjoy, another former BCB cricket operation chairman, had a hard time dealing with former national head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe as the Sri Lankan found out sooner than later that if he can convince Nazmul that he can get his job done.
This tried and tested formula is followed by others as well since it guarantees a hundred percent success in any matter referred to the BCB boss.
Nazmul, himself, also claimed that he was extremely hurt during the players’ protest considering he had always been by their side whenever they came to him.
Ahead of the South Africa series, Nazmul called a couple of cricketers – Mehidy Hasan, Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur ( though he couldn’t attend) – to sit with him and discuss their problems.
Despite all his good intentions, it didn’t go well inside the home of cricket as many opined that these kinds of initiatives only gave a wrong message to the whole team.
Nazmul publically stated on several occasions that the team management had to inform him about the playing eleven and he even included Khaled Mahmud as the team director just to make sure he is always aware of every development in the dressing room.
Whether it is a healthy practice or not is debatable but one thing is certain Nazmul makes the last call when it comes to Bangladesh cricket.
On request for anonymity, a BCB insider suggested that the BCB boss should take some lessons from his Indian counterpart Sourav Ganguly when it comes to dealing with cricketers.
“You don’t have to go far just see how Ganguly kept his composure with the entire Kohli captaincy issue. Just imagine if it had happened in Bangladesh how Papon bhai would have reacted,” the official told Daily Sun.
“It’s not that Papon bhai has any bad intention and he always wants betterment of Bangladesh cricket but you have to understand that certain things need to be sorted out in a certain manner,” he added.
After returning to Bangladesh from IPL, Mustafizur is expected to sit with Nazmul, who said that the left-arm pacer will have to play the longer-format game for the Tigers if required.
The meeting is expected to be regarding his Test future.
But the board president could have decided that the left-arm pace bowler has to come to him after explaining his observation to the BCB cricket operations.
Whether he takes this path remains to be seen but unless there is a chain of commands it is unlikely that the cricketers as well as other members of the team management hardly will have any accountability to those who are entrusted with the responsibility of running the show.
