A show of disrespect
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan's antics during press briefings have already been well-advertised, however the BCB boss probably violated the essence of the overall game -- respect -- while taking a swipe at Mushfiqur Rahim's decision to miss the Pakistan tour.
Responding to a question at the BCB headquarters on Tuesday regarding Mushfiqur's prospect of going to Pakistan for the last leg of the three-phase tour, Hassan first said that he was yet to listen to anything from the horse's mouth.
It was a reasonable response.
Then said something more at home in a political dictionary.
"Must think for the united states. Don't always have to think about your own [welfare]. This is what I personally believe. Family is vital, however the country is even more important," he said.
After a pause, he said something quite rational again.
"Well, there was fear. Most of us had fears over going to Pakistan. Wasn't the fear-factor prevalent in those who have travelled?" he asked.
But he uttered a thing that no decent professional athlete -- aside from Mushfiqur, a champion batsman and the most committed cricketer of the country -- deserves.
"[His] relative went there and played. So would nothing happen if something happened to [Mahmudllah] Riyad [his brother-in-law]? Will the members of the family cry only when something happens to him [Mushfiqur]? I cannot believe might be found," Hassan proclaimed.
His bizarre logic for Mushfiqur to go to Pakistan next April, that can be debated, is not an issue at all. The burning question is if the board president gets the authority to mock the family sentiments of Mushfiqur or any other cricketer.
Does the BCB boss have the right to belittle a cricketer, aside from a new player like Mushfiqur, who has over and over showed his utmost dedication to serving the country during his illustrious career spanning over 15 years?
Mushfiqur decided against touring Pakistan because of security concerns raised by family and he has every to react to the request of his dear ones, which is pretty common in the international sporting arena.
There may be criticism among the fans but this sort of reaction from the establishment and that too against a new player who publicly acknowledged that he never felt good when out of your ground, isn't just uncalled for but also a significant violation of mutual respect.
The board president has reasons to be disappointed. Bangladesh badly lost the two T20Is and the first Test against Pakistan by an innings. It is also understandable that, had Mushfiqur been with us, Bangladesh could have set up an improved fight with the bat.
Just to show how important he's in the Tigers' batting line-up, Mushfiqur hammered a magnificent double-hundred in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe on Monday.
Your day after he scored 203 not out at Mirpur, the BCB president said normal service returned to the Bangladesh camp as a reference to so easy win against Zimbabwe.
He also presented Mushfiqur with the player-of-the-match award with a smile on his face. But whether that was a compliment is anybody's guess now.
Source: www.thedailystar.net
