Bangladesh Cricket Board functionary slams former skipper for urging board to prioritise country’s cricket future before deciding on T20 World Cup after Mustafizur’s IPL ouster; remark draws backlash from current and ex-players
Tamim Iqbal (right) with Mustafizur Rahman. PIC/AFP
A senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official calling former Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal “an Indian agent” has not gone down well with the players in the country. Tamim had urged the country’s Cricket Board to avoid being driven by “public emotion” while deciding the national team’s participation in next month’s T20 World Cup in India, as any such call would have an “impact 10 years down the line”.
Bangladesh have expressed reluctance to tour India for the event starting February 7 and want their matches to be shifted to co-host Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. This was after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on instructions of the BCCI for unspecified reasons amid attacks on Hindus here.
‘Critical situation’
“The situation is a bit critical at the moment, and making a sudden comment right now is difficult. But one thing you must keep in mind is that many issues can often be resolved through dialogue if everyone comes together,” Tamim was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“You have to consider where Bangladesh stands in world cricket and what the future of Bangladesh cricket could be and then make decisions accordingly,” he said. Bangladesh sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul has taken a hard-line position on the change of venue.
M Nazmul Islam, chairman of the BCB finance committee, called the left-hander opener “an Indian agent” in a Facebook post. “This time, the people of Bangladesh witnessed, with their own eyes, the emergence of yet another proven Indian agent,” he wrote.
CWAB slams remark
The post received immediate backlash from former and current cricketers, including Taskin Ahmed, Momimul Haque and Taijul Islam. Even the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) expressed shock at Nazmul’s comments. “A comment made by BCB director M Nazmul Islam regarding former national captain Tamim Iqbal has come to the attention of the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh. We are stunned, shocked, and outraged by it. Such a remark by a board official about the most successful opener in Bangladesh’s history is utterly condemnable. Such comments about any cricketer of the country are unacceptable and insulting to the entire cricketing community,” the players’ body said in a statement.
Five
No of IPL teams Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman has played for
70
No of Tests played by Tamim Iqbal. He has represented Bangladesh in 243 ODIs and 78 T20Is
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