Dhaka Premier League club Gazi Tank Cricketers owner Lutfar Rahman Badal took a swipe at the Bangladesh Cricket Board officials for suspending former national captain Sakib al Hasan for a period of six months. The suspension ruled Sakib out of the forthcoming edition of the league, dealing a major blow to Gazi in their quest for retaining the tile.Gazi, who will be competing in the league, scheduled in November-December, under the banner of a new name Legends of Rupganj, roped in Sakib for a whopping Tk 50 lakh for the season.
‘We have reasons to believe that Sakib was made a victim because he agreed to play for us,’ Badal told New Age over phone from United Kingdom.
‘This is an attempt to ruin his career which in the long run will destroy Bangladesh cricket.
‘These gentlemen at the Bangladesh Cricket Board are only good at ruining the career of a player. They have a very little idea how to take care of a superstar like Sakib,’ he said.
Badal is at odds with the current group of BCB officials ever since he left Mohammedan Sporting Club and joined Victoria Sporting Club as its governing body chairman.
Victoria became champions in his first season at the club before he changed his allegiance and brought the sole proprietorship of Gazi Tank Cricketers last season.
The veteran organiser attempted to invest huge in Gazi Tanks only to be handicapped by a bizarre ‘players by choice’ transfer system.
Still he managed to forge a strong team that was good enough to lift the trophy dominating from the beginning of competition.
With the players by choice system have now gone, Badal again allotted a huge budget for the team for the coming season.
Badal was building the team around Sakib, one of the leading all-rounders in world cricket, who was sought after by some other teams.
‘It is very natural that they were not happy with him and made him a victim of dirty club politics,’ said an infuriated Badal.
‘Sakib made an enormous
contribution to Bangladesh cricket. I would like to ask, if the BCB directors have made similar contributions,’ he said, demanding the ban of the all-rounder to be withdrawn immediately.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Monday suspended all-rounder Sakib al Hasan from all kinds of competitive cricket for six months for what the Board said ‘a severe attitude problem’ that directly affects the team.
The BCB has also decided
that the player will not be provided with any no-objection-certificate to play any kind of tournament overseas until December 31, 2015, effectively barring him from the franchise-based Twenty20s across the world.
Badal said in his long association with Sakib, that he has never seen any attitude problem in Sakib.
‘Some people are simply jealous with him. He has name, fame and performance, which few people in BCB simply cannot accept,’ said Badal.
-With New Age input
