Where are discussions and self-realisation in cricket

No one can think of entering international cricket without proper preparation anymore. Preparation builds confidence. Those who take the field for the country are not novices. Without the ability to represent the country—there will be no opportunity. A chance coming by accident is an isolated incident. The most positive aspect of cricket is the opportunity to prove oneself. And this opportunity is always there.

Using skills and technique means excellence. The days of making excuses and getting away are over. On the stage of cricket, the ability to distinguish between black and white is now much greater. There has been a huge change in how the three formats are played. The attraction of modern ‘entertaining’ cricket is now at its peak. This rhythm of cricket is what everyone enjoys. Playing for the country is a great motivation and honour. And to realise the ultimate potential in this is an added bonus. With 53 years of cricket, the game has gone beyond the contemporary moment and become part of history. In cricket, everything should be judged with logic, not emotion.

Ahead of the upcoming T20 Asia Cup, Bangladesh national team’s preparation is very important. ICC associate member the Netherlands will play a three-match T20 series in Sylhet on 30 August, 1 and 3 September. Cricket board president Aminul Islam Bulbul, national team head coach Phil Simmons and others are frustrated and disappointed with the Mirpur wicket. The behaviour of the wicket is against the development of the country’s cricket.

The board, coaches, cricket operations and team management all want a sporting wicket prepared in Sylhet for the Netherlands T20 series. The board has already brought back experienced former Australian pitch curator Tony Hemming to Bangladesh. The much-discussed and controversial Sri Lankan curator Gamini de Silva has been sent on leave. With so much disappointment and anger about the wicket—what was the role of the grounds committee? The demand is that Tony Hemming will change the Sylhet stadium wicket and prepare a new sporting wicket—where there will be more runs, and bowlers will also have assistance. The problem is that this time there has been much more rain in Sylhet. Weather is closely tied with wicket preparation. Time is short. In this short time, how much the Australian curator can do remains uncertain. Besides Sylhet, the Mirpur wicket must also be made sporting. The wicket’s behaviour is often criticised abroad. Work has to be done on the wicket in Chattogram as well. A ‘sporting wicket’ is the biggest demand in international cricket. The ‘approach’ of cricket has changed.

The T20 series against the Netherlands is very important for Bangladesh’s cricketers. In this series, there is a chance to test oneself and make corrections. After this series ends, Bangladesh will fly to Dubai in the Middle East. There, Bangladesh’s first match in the T20 Asia Cup will be against Hong Kong on 11 September. Instead of making unrealistic claims like Bangladesh will be champions, the goal of Team Bangladesh should be to go match by match. Playing well with consistency. Due to family reasons, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will not play the Netherlands T20 series in Sylhet. But he will play in the Asia Cup in the Middle East. After the Asia Cup, Bangladesh will play three ODIs and three T20s against Afghanistan. Then they will play at home against the West Indies. The team will have to stay in cricket for a long time. The board has already appointed a strength and conditioning coach, a power-hitting coach (who will stay until the Netherlands series), and a psychologist. What is important here is the sincere response from the players and the proper use of this opportunity. The cricket board president has sat with national players, asked for their views—this is positive. It will reduce distance with the players.

Some cricket officials know how to market their image in a way very few others can. They present themselves as strong and confident individuals. They claim credit for cricket’s success, but when things go wrong, they blame their predecessors. Bias starts over who is cricket’s friend and who is its enemy. A healthy, people-friendly environment in the country’s cricket is always absent. The game is not being freed from the culture of rejection! In cricket, there is only talk and talk—in reality, its importance is rarely seen. Many are heard saying that a new system has to be built in cricket—but that is a big challenge. Exaggeration is harming not only the game but the spirit of the game. It is creating complications. One must remember that the huge population around cricket carries emotions, feelings, and expressions that are certainly different. Cricket is not just a sport in Bangladesh—it is much more! People always look for the nation and national character within cricket.

Progressive reform is needed in cricket. Urgent amendments to the constitution are required. So that opportunists cannot use it to become councillors overnight and dream big. I believe most people will support constitutional reforms. There is a kind of strategic ambiguity in cricket. And this ambiguity is now one of the main obstacles to the development of the game across the country. In cricket, everyone wants a clear and maximum expression of the people’s will.

Blaming each other is always opposition, not a solution. Some see everything in the past as negative in the context of time. But not everything in the past was bad. Flatterers are always active for personal interest. One question always arises in cricket—when will the derailed game get back on track? In cricket, the flow of talk and advice never ends. Sadly, the gap with reality here is huge. People want to see visible, inclusive and results-based work in cricket. When discussions outside the field start becoming more important than the cricket inside the field, the shadow of the country’s cricket only grows longer. The sails of the upcoming BCB election are already catching strong winds. It seems this time there will be some noticeable exceptions.

From the game to the officials’ activities and their various organisational weaknesses, failures and flip-flops—everything is glaringly visible. Organisational activities of cricket are suffering from lack of trust. The unpleasant truth is that the image of the country’s cricket is on a downward graph.

The driving force of the future is the young generation. They are far more talented, confident, thoughtful, intelligent, aware and positive than any previous generation. At the same time, far more ambitious too. The days of deceiving them with tricks are over. They must be understood. Their demands must be understood. Because of the lack of transparency, responsibility and accountability in cricket—the game has not reached the place it should have, rather Bangladesh cricket is facing challenges on the international stage. It is hard to say what will happen to Bangladesh’s ‘status’ in prestigious Test cricket in the coming days.

The role of the media and social media in cricket is in some cases positive, likable, dislikable, and filled with bias. And civil society is very busy in other matters. For many of them, cricket is just a game.

Cricket practice or playing is not a matter of one day or a few days. It is a game of a lifetime. It has become tied with the life of the Bengali nation. Their emotions, joys and sorrows. The fact that people stand united behind cricketers in both good and bad times is a huge thing. It is sad that the Bangladesh Cricket Board has not been able to properly use this positive energy and inspiration. Even after so many years, it has not been able to bring the country’s international cricket to a tolerable state. The ODI format was Bangladesh’s strength. A few years ago in world cricket, Team Bangladesh produced outstanding performances worth mentioning. Now what is Bangladesh’s position in the ODI rankings? Where is the self-criticism and self-realisation? Where is the determined mentality to regain the lost position?

Instability in cricket administration is always being encouraged directly and indirectly! The issue of a ‘sustainable’ future is rarely raised collectively. ‘Self-destructive’ decisions have pushed cricket into uncertainty. The game is not being freed from the web of confusion. Contradictions are always making cricket’s moral position controversial. External interference in cricket is increasing. Which is undesirable. If the ICC wakes up from its slumber, major problems could arise in the country’s cricket. Negative propaganda in cricket has grown far too much.

Ikramuzzaman: Columnist and analyst; former Senior Vice President, AIPS Asia; life member, Bangladesh Sports Press Association; and panel writer, Football Asia