Just like powerful winds do not necessarily blow away all heavy sand deposits in a desert, the recent World Cup catastrophe has had little effect on changing the mindset of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
A familiar pattern develops once more. The World Cup disaster appears to have become just another routine occurrence in Bangladesh cricket, with the reasons for such a catastrophic campaign ready to be pushed under the rug. The signs are appearing in light of what the BCB president recently stated, namely that the board’s inability to handle disciplinary concerns was due to a lack of impetus from the rest of the board directors.
“When I want to bring it [discipline] back, even the board members feel like, ‘Oh no, maybe they’re coming for me.'” “That’s why no one does it [restore discipline],” BCB president stated following the second Test against New Zealand.
The statement also emphasizes the importance of his involvement in the most essential issues, pointing out that the methods required to manage the incumbent board are broken.
The BCB president’s remark, as well as what ODI captain Shakib Al Hasan stated before the World Cup about his captaincy and then said on Monday, as well as what cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said about Shakib’s availability, all help to explain the repeated trend.
In an interview prior to the World Cup, Shakib stated that he would not be captain of the ODI team after the World Cup, even for a day. Given his current political activity, he did not submit his name for IPL consideration. On Monday, however, he stated that he hoped to play in all three forms and concentrate on national assignments rather than franchise cricket.
Shakib has frequently skipped national commitments to play in the IPL. However, the IPL’s interest in Shakib has waned in recent years, and the player’s comments on Monday were paradoxical. Jalal’s comments to the media yesterday demonstrate that any concerns about a change in thinking have been put to rest.
“There is no reevaluation here. Shakib remains our captain. We have given [Najmul Hossain] Shanto the captaincy for only two series against New Zealand. As you are aware, Shakib has been appointed captain for the long haul. In all formats, he remains the long-term captain. We still believe he is our captain, and it is impossible to speculate on whether he will continue to captain us in future formats.
“Since we have given him the mandate, we want him to stay as captain for the rest,” BCB cricket operations chairman said.
Shanto has been named stand-in captain for both the red-ball and upcoming white-ball matches against New Zealand. With Shakib nearing the end of his career, there was speculation that Shanto may take over the reins of leadership. When Shakib and others retire, the opportunity to groom Shanto may be lost, resulting in the formation of a new generation being hampered.
The board is not feeling the need for change because they appointed personnel currently inside the board’s power structure to conduct an investigation into the World Cup debacle. The three committee representatives did not state that they were involved in a “inquiry.”
Previously, such inquiry committee results were not made public, most recently following the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Tamim Iqbal’s international involvement remains unknown. Even the feud between Shakib and Tamim Iqbal has not been dealt with formal disciplinary procedures because if there were, BCB would have to accept responsibility for many of their own activities, which they may not want to do.
The World Cup fiasco prompted soul-searching and the reform of numerous processes, but problems are once again being postponed for a later date. It appears that one or two sporadic triumphs are sufficient to satisfy BCB’s appetite.