Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 28: After it clashed with the world body over shifting seniors’ team’s matches in the T20 World Cup from India, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday opened a new front against the International Cricket Council (ICC) over scheduling of its matches in the on-going U19 World Cup being played in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The controversial statement over alleged “unfair scheduling” was issued after Bangladesh’s virtual exit from the U19 World Cup. “More than the approach, I think our calculations were lacking [against England and India]. But this [travel schedule] is something I want to highlight, even if people think I’m making excuses,” the BCB’s game development coordinator Habibul Bashar said.
Bangladesh were initially scheduled to play two warm-up matches in Masvingo, before moving to Harare for the main draw. However, Bashar revealed that the ICC changed their schedule and the team had to play its practice games at two different venues, separated by a four-hour drive.
“To avoid the boys getting too tired before the India match, the BCB actually paid for an internal flight out of its own pocket because the bus journey was too long and direct flights were scarce,” he added.
Bangladesh head coach Naveed Nawaz and several players reportedly expressed frustration over the hectic schedule. They had to travel from Harare to Bulawayo, a nearly nine-hour bus ride during monsoon season, before their opening group fixture. Considering the importance of the fixtures, the BCB arranged and funded an internal flight for the matches against India and New Zealand.
However, the travel did not stop there, as they had to return to Bulawayo by bus for their match against the USA on January 23, before hitting the road again for the Super Six clash against England in Bulawayo on January 26.
“The schedule was very unfair to us. During the initial schedule, we were supposed to play two of our warm-up matches in Masvingo and travel to Bulawayo, which is a four-hour drive, for our opening two group-stage matches. Later, they [ICC] suddenly changed the schedule, and it meant we had to play two of our warm-up games at different venues, travelling back and forth,” Bashar claimed.
“We notified them [of the travel burden] before the tournament started. We asked them to move our practice games to avoid the back-and-forth travel, but they didn’t listen. Once the tournament starts, you can’t really change these things.” Unlike Bangladesh, teams like India, Pakistan, England, and Australia had a far lighter travelling schedule, Bashar said.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been at loggerheads with the ICC ever since its refusal to send the national team to India for the T20 World Cup. While Bangladesh have been removed and replaced by Scotland for the upcoming tournament, has criticised the global body for ‘unfair’ scheduling of their U19 World Cup matches.
Meanwhile, in Pakistan where the cricket board has deferred a final decision on participating in the T20 World Cup, several former players and veterans have expressed dissatisfaction over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister, putting the country’s cricketing future at stake.
After a recent meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Naqvi revealed that his team’s participation in the T20 World Cup was on ‘hold’ for the moment, with the final decision on the subject awaited either this Friday or next Monday. As the tournament edges closer to its commencement, Pakistan’s stance has started to receive pushback from its own cricketing spectrum, with former players and officials urging Naqvi against taking an extreme step.
Former Pakistan Test captain Muhammad Hafeez opined that PCB must send the team for the World Cup, while former PCB Chairman Khalid Mahmood and secretary Arif Ali Abbasi didn’t see any logic in not sending the team to the World Cup.
“I can understand Pakistan supporting Bangladesh, but what purpose will PCB achieve by not sending its team apart from spoiling relations with the International Cricket Council and member boards,” Abbasi said.
Abbasi, who worked in the board during the time of stalwarts like Jagmohan Dalmiya and IS Bindra, said PCB must send the team for the World Cup. “What about our relations with Sri Lanka? Obviously, Sri Lanka will suffer losses if Pakistan doesn’t go as all our matches are in Sri Lanka, including matches with India,” he said.
Mahmood said the PCB’s stance was laudable, but it must remain sensible and centred on serving Pakistan cricket. “We have to remember that, except for Pakistan, no other cricket board supported the Bangladesh demand to move matches from India. I can understand the stance taken by the Bangladesh board, but it is also a fact that no one supported them in the ICC meeting,” Mahmood said.
Former Test batsman and ex-chief selector and head coach, Mohsin Khan, also urged the PCB to send the team for the World Cup. “We have issues with India, but we are playing all our matches in Sri Lanka.” He also pointed out that he had read that the Bangladesh Board would not appeal or challenge the ICC decision to leave them out of the World Cup.
“So then on what grounds will the PCB not send its team to the World Cup. It will be bad for our cricket,” he cautioned. Former captains Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Muhammad Yousuf cautioned that Pakistan must keep everything in mind while making a final call.
“I personally would like to see Pakistan compete in the World Cup. We have some good players, and our cricket needs to see our team doing well in big events,” Inzamam said.
Former Test batsman, Haroon Rasheed, who was head coach of senior and junior teams and also chief selector, believed Pakistan will take part in the World Cup as there was not enough reason to pull-out. “We supported Bangladesh, which is a good thing. We took a principled stance, but now is also the time to look at our own cricket interests,” he said.
