‘Bangladesh Cricket Is Digging Its Own Grave By Politicising Sports’
Mohammad Kamran, a budding cricketer from UP, says Dhaka will do well to protect its minorities instead of showing hostility against India in cricket tournaments. His views:
I would first like to distinctly say that looking at the prevailing sentiments of Indians with regards to serial lynching of Hindu citizens in Bangladesh, IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) should not have picked Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman in the first place. Second, KKR should have dropped the player instead of waiting for the instructions and intervention of the BCCI.
However, all well that ends well and all the present gimmicks now being exhibited by the Bangladesh Cricket Board regarding suspension of IPL broadcast in Bangladesh and asking for neutral venues for its matches in the upcoming T20 World Cup is nothing much than optics and will end further making a bigger hole in the country’s begging bowl.
As the ICC has stood firm on its stand (of not changing any of the venues) and the only option left with the Bangladesh is to opt out of the tournament, its decision are not going to matter much for either the ICC or BCCI. If the BCB chooses not to take part in the T20 tournament, it will not only harm its reputation, but also earn negatives for its team that continues to struggle to make an international mark.
It is also clear that the ICC refusal to change the tournament schedule will remain unchanged; there are no credible security threats in India and its Play-or-Forfeit decision leaves the ball in Bangladesh’s court. If Bangladesh chooses not to travel to India, it stands to get eliminated from the international tournament. This would further push their cricket towards doom.
There is news in some sections of the media that owing to the general mood and anger amongst Indians over attacks on minorities in Bangladesh, India’s prominent sports manufacturer SG is ending its agreements with Bangladeshi cricketers including Liton Das, Yasir Rabbi, Moinul Haque, etc. The company is in no mood to carry forward the endorsement. Other Indian brands are also likely to follow suit and nullify endorsements deals with Bangladesh players. Any belligerence by their cricket board will help them dig their own graves.
Leaving behind cricket diplomacy, it is also high time that the Indian government took a bold step further to control things in yet another disturbed neighbourhood which is walking on the footsteps of Pakistan and openly violating international laws. The country’s leaders have also made statements challenging our sovereignty and integrity by daring to cut off our Seven Sisters every now and then. The bonhomie enjoyed earlier between the two countries is no longer there and the current public sentiment in India is to teach the new hostile neighbour a strong and befitting lesson.
As told to Rajat Rai
