A stunned Bangladesh ‘A’ team skipper Shahriar Nafees returned back from India on Sunday after the Bangladesh Cricket Board withdrew him from the Shafi Dharashah Tournament on disciplinary ground.
‘I really don’t know why I am called back from the competition,’ an agitated Shahriar told New Age after arriving from India.
‘I admit that I showed my anger in the dressing room but that is known as the players’ area and this kind of things often happens there,’ said Shahriar.
It was learnt that Shahriar got involved in a brawl with the umpires after being dismissed in the second match against Karnataka State Cricket Association and created a scene. He stood at the crease for a while claiming that he was not caught and later while returning back to the dressing room he started abusing the umpires.
The total incident took the spectators by surprise, but it was not the end as he had thrown his bat and helmet in the air to show his disgust.
Shahriar refused to accept that allegation and said that he had thrown his cricket gadgets in despair in the dressing room unlike what had been rumoured and that’s quite normal in a cricket match.
‘I admit that I had thrown my helmet and bat, but that I did in the dressing room though it was an open space but unlike what you are saying,’ said Shahriar.
‘The decision was very crucial and we received a few bad decisions from the host umpires that really cost us the game, so my reaction was very natural I believe,’ he said.
Even national head coach Richard Pybus had suggested, during his class with the players, that a batsman can show his anger in the players area for 10 minutes to get himself relived,’ he added.
When asked that the incident had such an impact that the match referee called him and gave him warning, Shahriar disagreed with it.
‘I was called by the match referee but that was not because of my incident. I was called because we appealed a lot in the second innings and I was asked why I could not control the boys as I was the skipper of the team,’ said Shahriar.
‘If I was the person to be blamed than he would have warned me, but that was not the case,’ said Shahriar.
After the incident, ‘A’ team’s coach Stuart Barnes emailed and complained against the left-hander that made the board take this step.
Shahriar added that he had an altercation with Barnes after he asked him to calm down.
‘Barnes asked me why I was behaving in that manner and I replied back
that for some crucial decisions my team is losing and you ask me to control my emotions,’ he added.
It was learnt that the Board was receiving complains about Shahriar, from the beginning of the camp, being a nagging character and earlier he along with some players had a burst up with the Barnes in Khulna when the players were asked to run after the match.
BCB cricket operation chairman Enayet Hossian said that it was the decision of the team management to send him back.
‘It was a decision of the team management to send him back and the Board agreed with that after what had happened in the last match,’ said Seraj.
Insiders suggest that the left-hander seemed to be frustrated after he was not included in the 30-member preliminary squad for the ICC World Twenty20.
-With New Age input
