Another needless controversy has struck the Tigers after Shakib Al Hasan’s flimsy demand was met by the Bangladesh Cricket Board boss, ignoring the entire chain of command existing for the national team.
BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal gave in to the national cricketer’s wish to stay in a separate single room rather than with a teammate in Chittagong where the Tigers are training at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium these days. Shakib raised a stink as soon as the cricketers arrived at the team hotel on Friday, where two players were allocated one room by manager Zahid Razzaque.
Reportedly, the world’s No 1 all-rounder was asked to stay with Tamim Iqbal but he refused, asking to pay for the single room himself if the board wasn’t going to. Facing rejection, he called up Kamal, who immediately told the team management to give Shakib what he wants and also directed them to allocate single rooms for captain Mushfiqur Rahim and former captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. According to the new rule, all captains (present and former) will stay on their own during training camps.
Kamal is definitely the man who is equipped (constitutionally) to call all the shots in the cricket board and it is quite evident that he enjoys this influence. Interestingly, the ruling party lawmaker talks a lot about professionalism in BCB as if it is in practice. But just like many of his statements and decisions (for example, stripping Shakib of the captaincy), he has given a hoot to professionalism and taken arbitrary decisions.
A national player has all the right to make any demand, it is crucial where they are placed and how it is fulfilled. Having been refused by the manager and the BCB’s cricket operations committee, going right up to the board president shows how poorly Shakib values the management around him and how he still calls the shots in the BCB.
By sidestepping the team manager and the entire cricket operations committee and in turn making them look puny, Kamal and Shakib have not only hurt the team morale, but set a dangerous precedence.
-With The Daily Star input
