Simmons wants Bangladesh players to stay off social media following unsavoury episode

Phil Simmons has urged the Bangladesh players to refrain from posting on their social media handles. This in the wake of Mohammad Naim posting a reaction after he and a few other team members were abused by some fans at the Dhaka airport on Wednesday upon their return from the UAE following the series against Afghanistan, where they won the T20Is 3-0 but lost the ODIs by the same margin.

"I don't agree with players having anything to do with social media," Simmons said at a press conference a day out from the ODI series against West Indies. "It is your right as a person to be on social media, to say what you want on social media. But as an international player, as a national player for Bangladesh, my players should not be on there."

Naim was part of a group of players that came face to face with some individuals at the airport. Separate footage also showed Taskin Ahmed and his family facing similar abuse from fans.

Bangladesh's cricketers quite regularly post on Facebook, which has been a topic of discussion in the BCB and among the team management for many years. It is, however, not clear if the board has spoken to the players on the matter or imposed any restrictions on their online presence.

Simmons was also critical of fans racially abusing Jaker Ali, as has been reported at some cricket grounds and is regularly seen on social media.

"I would say one thing, it is not nice to bring racial tones into anything to do with players," Simmons said. "I don't care where you're from, the racial part of it against Jaker Ali I am disgusted with. That's not nice. But I don't want my players answering anything on social media."

Mohammad Salahuddin, the Comilla Victorians head coach, had in fact referred to the matter at a BPL press conference last year, pointing to that as the reason for Victorians player Jaker's non-selection to the Bangladesh team.

"The boy is black, which is why the board doesn't see him," Salahuddin had said in February 2024. "He is playing well in the last few years. His strike rate has helped us as he scores important runs. He is a sensible cricketer. I think he should get a chance."

Jaker had made his international debut in October 2023, but has become a regular in the team more recently.

Although Salahuddin's statement in support of Jaker, he faced backlash for his choice of words. When told about this after Friday's press conference, Simmons admitted that he was aware of Salahuddin's 2024 statement.