Cricket's journey on a quirky camel

According to Nazmul Abedin Fahim, "In Bangladesh's cricket culture, captains are not born; they are made." The effort to develop a captain for the Tigers has stumbled just eight months in, as reports suggest that Najmul Hossain Shanto will step down from captaincy across all formats after the Chattogram Test. What the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) plans to do in response to this unexpected issue remains to be seen; however, the comments from board director Nazmul Abedin Fahim indicate underlying complexities within the country's cricket.

Fahim was the first board member to respond to the Shanto issue. As a respected cricket analyst, he expressed, "I believe it was very necessary to stand by him and support him. He is the captain of a team like Bangladesh, which is very inconsistent. He is also a young player. There should have been more empathy regarding his situation." His remarks hint at potential tensions within the board concerning the captaincy issue.

If such a situation truly exists, then it is akin to saying, as in Shamsur Rahman’s acclaimed poetry collection ‘Udvat Uter Pithe Cholechhe Swadesh,’ that "Cricket is on the Back of a Strange Camel." Here, fans' expectations are sky-high, as if challenging Everest, while the reality is a disarrayed ground. The chaotic state of various aspects of the country's cricket is becoming increasingly evident. Just as one problem arises and is addressed, another comes crashing in.

Discussions and controversies surrounding the sacking of the head coach haven't even settled before the captaincy issue surfaces. It doesn’t require profound wisdom to understand that Bangladesh cricket is not functioning through a normal process. The shaky grassroots structure, lack of transparency in cricket administration, irregularities, corruption, and a series of complexities like match-fixing are all deeply entrenched in the system. After a change in the top echelons of the board, there was a glimmer of hope for a fresh start, but an short-sighted decision regarding the coach has delivered a significant blow to that dream. By prioritizing personal preferences, the board president has severely impacted that vision! Just as the reverberations from this decision begin to settle, the issue of Shanto's resignation from captaincy emerges, adding further turmoil.

Nazmul Abedin Fahim's comments about standing by captain Shanto don't seem to hint at the supporters. This cricketer has shown resilience even in the face of early career criticism. Despite not meeting expectations with the bat, he managed to stay in the team, leading some supporters to refer to him as "Najmul Hasan Papon's son" or "Hathurusingha's protege." However, such criticism has not been prevalent recently, nor is it currently noticeable. The criticism of the captain or key team members is often viewed as a normal part of the process, which Shanto himself has acknowledged in the past. His statements have not turned the issue of fan criticism into a significant concern. So, is there an underlying conflict within the country's cricket governing body regarding the captaincy issue?

Could Shanto's desire to step down as captain be a "personal" reason? The term "personal" is quite common in resignations. To find deeper causes, one must look at his personal performance. Is the pressure of captaincy affecting his performance negatively? Let's take a look: Shanto's career average in Tests is 28.68, while as captain it is 25.76. There's not much difference in the format of white uniform. In ODIs, his career average is 33.29, while as captain it rises to 52, indicating that captaincy has energized him. In T20 format, his career average is 22.85, but as captain, it drops to 18.76.

In the statistics across three formats, captaincy does not seem to be a burden for Shanto. So why does he want to escape just eight months into his captaincy while planning to take on long-term leadership responsibilities? During this time, there has been a lot of talk about his batting, but no questions have been raised about his captaincy. On the contrary, his leadership has been praised.

Up until the first Test against South Africa in Mirpur, under Shanto's captaincy, the Bangladesh team has played 9 Tests, winning 3 and losing 6. In nine One Day Internationals, the win-loss record is the same: 3 wins and 6 losses. Bangladesh has played 24 T20s under his leadership, winning 10. The statistics for his captaincy across three formats do not suggest any alarming issues; rather, the inherent ups and downs of Bangladeshi cricket are evident in his leadership as well. So, is this a decision to retreat in the face of some invisible pressure?

Shanto's decision to step down from captaincy will undoubtedly present a new problem for the BCB: who will be his successor? Finding someone suitable to take on the role across all three formats is challenging. Currently, there is speculation that Mehedi Hasan Miraz might be appointed captain for Tests and ODIs, while Tawhid Hridoy could take over in T20s. However, this is merely a suggestion, and it may or may not align with the thoughts of BCB officials.

To honor Shanto's decision to leave, it is essential to wait for the board to finalize a suitable alternative captain. For this, we will have to look towards the BCB for guidance.

Mahbub Sarkar: Sports Journalist.