Everyone is realizing that Bangladesh Cricket is on a rough ride now. For the last several months team has performed very poorly in all formats of international cricket raising credibility questions about its existence in ICC top league. The same team was doing so well in most part of 2012 and 2013. For maintaining its visible presence at top league of international cricket the management and administration of cricket requires fundamental changes.
BCB is perhaps not realizing that Bangladesh is among the top ten cricket playing nations. It requires maintaining certain level of standard and proving its ascendency as time progresses. Few other associate nations like Ireland, Afghanistan are fast improving and are about to open their door into big league. If Bangladesh cannot get out of the present hole their existence at top level will come under serious scrutiny. The business as usual approach will not take Bangladesh anywhere. A complete professional approach of seasoned professionals and committed cricket organizers are essential to properly diagnose the issues and challenges and take pragmatic corrective actions. A credible monitoring and evaluation process must be put in place. Systems must be there to create enabling environment for quality young cricketers to be hunted and nourished with mentoring and coaching. These are not happening and these possibly cannot happen with present cricket administration.
Fourteen years is no less a time for Bangladesh to establish a position among ten test playing ICC full member nations. But at test level Bangladesh could hardly impress the cricket critics and analysts. Of the 85 tests Bangladesh have played it could only win four tests and that too also too each against depleted West Indies and Zimbabwe, lost as many as 70 tests and many by a margin of an innings. Many tests did not even last over three days. Well Bangladesh can genuinely complain about not getting enough opportunities to play tests. But have we proved ourselves competitive at all that any other country would feel it worthwhile to invite Bangladesh. Yet all test playing countries excepting our big brother neighbor invited Bangladesh at least once on a bilateral series. Bangladesh is now languishing at the rock bottom of ICC test ranking. The only other team Zimbabwe within our striking distance is recovering from their own slump after reorganizing their own cricket remaining self-exiled from test cricket for a while. They are our competitor in a home series from next week.
Bangladesh performance in ODI improved to a certain level. We could manage to beat all test playing countries at least once. We could also Tiger Wash New Zealand twice at home. We could play in the final of Asian Cup beating strong Sri Lanka and India. But from late 2013 we have progressively slipped from that also. We not only lost to major teams miserably we also lost against Afghanistan and Hong Kong. In the recent series against West Indies we looked really very ordinary. Of the 289 ODIs that Bangladesh have played so far they won 80 and lost 285 with four remained undecided for various reasons. Many of the wins were against ICC associate countries.
What are The Roles of BCB Directors?
History does not say that a cricket super star will be essentially a good cricket administrator. Many great cricketers in different countries have failed to deal admirably with cricket administration. But yes if a great cricketer is good thinker he has better chance of turning into a good cricket administrator. BCB can claim that it has mostly past leading cricketers and even as many as 5 ex-Cricket Captains in their administration and planning. But the performance of Bangladesh team does not speak in their favor. BCB has really failed to create an enabling environment for cricket to establish a deep root in Bangladesh. As such after Mashrafee no new ball bowler of quality is emerging. No more Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiq are in view. Domestic cricket structure is weak and sick. Forgetting about long term perspective planning BCB looks busy organizing international cricket tournaments, setting up new cricket venues.
Over the last few years a good cricket venue at Bogra named after a freedom fighter remains virtually unutilized. Bangladeshi wickets hardly improved to consider them as sporting. There is hardly any pace and bounce to encourage growth and development of good pace bowlers. Without a contingent of quality new ball bowler Bangladesh can longer win any test match abroad, cannot be competitive with bits and pieces bowlers. Where is the initiative of BCB for hunting for pacers and developing them?
What are the roles of BCB Directors? Are they proving equal to their roles? What are short, medium and long term planning of BCB? Where they want to take our cricket in two years, five years and in a decade from now? How the young talents are being spotted? Where they are nursed? Who are monitoring and recording their progress? Where are the leading local coaches like Jalal Ahmed Choudhury, Altaf and Others? We remember Badsha, Waheed, Azam and Pilot used to run cricket clinics? What happened to those initiatives? Why BKSP no longer producing quality cricketers like Shakib-al-Hasan and Mushfiq? What happened to Nirman School Cricket? Siraj College cricket? I am sure whether Dhaka University Inter Department Cricket creates similar excitements that it used to be in 1970s and 1980s. Can BCB Directors answer all the questions raised here?
Do our Cricketers have Attitude Problem?
In 1970s and 1980s most of national cricketers used to come from good academic background. They could conduct themselves very well at top level of cricket. With the passage of time top cricketers started emerging from different education and so economic and cultural backgrounds. They required proper grooming and adaptation to adjust to international level. But BCB has failed to that. BCB failed to inculcate cricket ethics and values among national cricketers. Rather some ego messaging caused damage. That is why we had sad episode with talented world class batsman Ashraful Huq, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib-al-Hasan. They could not become role models for young cricketers of the future. For this BCB man management among others is responsible. Professionals not only are required to play consistently well they are required conduct themselves professionally on and off the field. But sadly enough BCB administration and team management have failed to create that among Bangladeshi cricketers. That is why they lack commitment and they lost hunger for success.’
Why Quality Coaches Can Not Survive?
Without naming anyone specifically it can be said that the present environment of BCB no self-respecting good international cricket coach will stay longer. Trained and internationally accredited coaches have disciplined approach. They learn coaching under very well organized system which most of the Bangladeshi Cricket administrator cannot even imagine. There cannot be a short route of success in international level. For good cricket good environment is essential. Good wickets, competitive and representative tournaments of different versions, transparent selection process, good coaching and mentoring of players and above all accountable institutions are essential. Is BCB accountable to anyone now? If so they would have been asked about their dismal performances so far.
Questions may be asked why a Sri Lankan with not too proven credibility was selected as a coach to nurse the team now going through crisis. Will Chandika Hathurusinghe be ever considered for coaching in any of the ICC full member countries? Many suggested engaging our home grown but Aussie trained Aminul Islam Bulbul as head coach. Why BCB ignored? In what aspect the present coach is better than Bubul. As a player, as a cricket coach, cricket administrator Bulbul has much better credential than the one BCB has chosen. We have already seen the effect .We honestly wish to see him creating magic soon .Otherwise a serious damage will be done to Bangladesh Cricket and it will be extremely difficult for anyone to salvage over short term.
Can BCB Justify the Harsh Punishment of Shakib?
We already mentioned why players like Shakib could not develop proper cricketing ethics and attitude? More the player himself his mentors were responsible. Did any responsible person seriously talk with him before the last round of punishment was handed over to Shakib? What is the justification of debarring him from playing in foreign leagues? Was not he branding Bangladesh Cricket abroad through playing in IPL, KFC Big bash, English Cricket? Bangladesh Cricketers playing only in Bangladesh cannot raise their standard beyond a certain level. More and more players playing any form of competitive cricket is better for us .It will take several more years for Bangladesh to upgrade its domestic cricket. Remember Pakistan and West Indian Cricketers used to dominate international arena when most of their top players played in English Cricket. Think of Garner, Roberts, Holding, Marshal, Imran, Asif, Majid, Miandad, Zaheer, Wasim, Waqar, Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Lara. All of them excelled through fine tuning in English cricket. While BCB should encourage its players in playing in foreign leagues and competitions they have sent a wrong signal through banning Shakib from playing abroad. It must have been done through shallow thinking jealousy of individuals.
Bangladesh Needs A Full-fledged Cricket Academy:
For creating a proper cricket breeding ground Bangladesh must immediately set up a Cricket academy with a pool of quality cricketers and cricket coaches as its nucleus. Bangladesh can seek advice of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, Saurav Gangly. Talented youth from all over Bangladesh must be hunted by a team of Bangladesh Ex Cricketers through a process and given residential facilities to study and learn cricket at the same time. We hope the Owner of Legend of Rupganj Cricket team and some other well to well-wishers of Bangladesh Cricket would take the initiative where Non Resident Bangladeshi Cricket Enthusiasts can also contribute. It can be like MRF Academy in India or Australian Cricket academy. Proper linkages can be established with these academies for exchanging coaches and trainers. Persons like Aminul Islam Bulbul can be best suited there.
This writer is surprised to read how ICC President AHM Kamal has underrated his role. He is not only for chairing few ICC meetings and handing over few trophies. He has definite role of overviewing cricket development in different member countries and mostly in countries where domestic formats are poor. Should he not be bothered about present state of Bangladesh Cricket? Should he not be assisting Pakistan in returning of International cricket to their country? It will be better if he does not talk much about ICC Presidents role. Otherwise Bangladesh as cricket playing nation would get embarrassed?
Bangladesh is well represented at ACC with Ashraful Huq being CEO and Aminul Islam as development officer. BCB must sought support ACC and ACC must also be strongly supported by BCB.
Friends Of Bangladesh Cricket Must Not Keep Their Fingers Crossed?
We as members of first generation Bangladesh Cricket community first hand witnessed what trials and tribulations Bangladesh Cricket had to go through to bring cricket to present level. We must not let all our gains wasted for novice management of few individuals. We find many individuals like Lipu, Roquibul, and Heera have started talking on TV Talk shows. Why not others of that generation Tanveer Mazhar Tanna, Shamim Kabir, ASM Farookh, Mainu, Seraj, Shakil, Badsha and others put together their thoughts and efforts? Cricket must be kept out of politics. After all Cricket can create national unity which is missing elsewhere. Wonder what happened to Cricket Players Association? Has it become a pocket organization of fortunate fews?
Time will not wait for anyone. If Bangladesh cannot turn around soon a serious damage will be done to Bangladesh Cricket .If Bangladesh cannot elevate its ranking in ODI to at least 8 over the next one year it will have to play qualifying round for next world cup and may not survive that test. If Bangladesh cannot prove itself competitive at Test level the talks of suspending Bangladesh test status with again get momentum. We urge BCB to wake up from hibernation without any delay.
BDST: 0958 HRS, OCT 16, 2014
