Bangladesh cricket should have seen this coming. For far too long, it has been driven by political posturing of entirely the wrong kind. For reasons best known to themselves, the authorities linked the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL to the ICC World Cup, without understanding that this would cut no ice with the ICC. The two issues are not remotely related, yet politicians turned it into a matter of national prestige. In doing so, they have damaged Bangladesh cricket and caused it potentially irreparable harm.
With the ICC acting decisively and clearly stating its position, the BCB now has nowhere to hide. All the political bluster has blown up in their faces, and Bangladesh cricket will take months, if not longer, to recover from this blow.
Read this paragraph from the ICC’s statement: “Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league. This linkage has no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”
The language is stern and the message loud and clear. There is no wiggle room left, and Bangladesh has been left isolated and cornered. There is no mention of Pakistan, and clearly the PCB has said nothing publicly to suggest it will show solidarity and withdraw. All the kite-flying is now out of the window.
The truth is that nothing will happen to the politicians. Asif Nazrul and his ilk will continue with their careers. They will keep appealing to the radical, fundamentalist constituency and will now play the victim card. Playing the martyr is the easiest option. What they fail to realise is that they have made sacrificial lambs of their cricketers. They have put players’ careers on the line and sacrificed them without hesitation. These players do not have the courage to speak out against the political establishment, nor do they have the financial security back home to absorb such a setback. In the absence of their voices, all that remains is suffering. The World Cup might be gone. If things do not change, their careers may soon follow.
If Bangladesh fail to read the writing on the wall, much more misery lies ahead. The loss of the World Cup could be just the beginning. The domestic league is already a car crash, India are highly unlikely to tour in August, and if the ICC withholds funding, the country could find itself back in 1997. Bangladesh may also be forced to play qualifiers ahead of the 2027 World Cup –they are currently ranked only 10th – a scenario that would represent a major setback.
In sum, Bangladesh is the only real loser in this entire saga — and rightly so. All the political grandstanding has come to nothing. No country has come out in support, and Pakistan has once again shown itself to be an unreliable ally: first provoking the situation and then incapable of changing the narrative in the boardroom. Will someone finally see sense, or will the sport slide into terminal decline? The decision lies with the BCB and the politicians. Based on what we have seen so far, there is very little hope left for the players or the fans.
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