The Surfer

A vital cog missing

Jamie Alter
Jamie Alter
25-Feb-2013
Bangladesh Cricket Board

Bangladesh Cricket Board

The Bangladesh Cricket Board's decision to drop the media manager from the World Twenty20 in the West Indies and the two-Test series in England is stunningly inexplicable and that too at the expense of an observer, writes Mohammad Isam in the Daily Star. The BCB is part of world cricket's growth and as one of the Test-playing nations, they have tried to follow the bigger nations every step of the way. But they have the tendency to fall back on ancient times every now and then.
Most of the players, admittedly from humble backgrounds, do not feel comfortable speaking in English and while this could be a trivial matter to some, it turns out to be a national embarrassment every time they face the camera. But hardly these cricketers are to blame. They spent half their lives playing the game and when they end up at the top level, they seek the help of professionals to guide them through a press conference or an interview after they have done well. In these instances, the players feel comfortable in the company of a media manager who translates for them as well as make sure they get the best treatment in the newspapers.

Jamie Alter is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo