Al-Amin: Riding on the wrong horse? (20 Jul 1998)

20 July 1998

Riding on the wrong horse?

Al-Amin

A peep through the windows of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) office will give one an interesting experience. Instead of a chance to have a look at people working with enthusiasm for the development of the game, the curious onlooker will find some dejected faces just tediously going through their everyday rituals inside the uniquely furnished office of an unusually serene cricket headquarters of the country.

Although cricket is the most popular sport in our country at this moment, the environment prevailing inside those cosy rooms nowadays hardly brings back the memories of old days when everybody was bustling with unprecedented euphoria following the ICC Trophy triumph just a year back. The depression in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is perhaps properly propped up when its general secretary, Ashraful Haque, who along with a few of his colleagues, chose to talk with this correspondent over the disappointing performance of the national team in its just-concluded tour to the British Isles.

The national cricketers returned home yesterday after displaying a disastrous performance in Ireland, England and Scotland. The tour, organised by the BCB as part of its preparation for the next World Cup, spanned over 45 days.

"This is a disappointing performance. And if the present trend continues, the standard of our cricket will turn from bad to worse in the near future,"said Ashraful in an animated discussion on Saturday.

"I think, the time has come to evaluate the performance of the team. I mean, not the performance of the cricketers alone but also of the coach and manager,"said the cricketer-turned-organiser.

But he seemed to be in a state confusion when asked how the Board is going to evaluate the performance of the team since it has failed to constitute even a development and planning committee even though it has got an elected panel through the maiden sports federations polls three months ago.

"To tell you frankly we are yet to form any sub committees. But we will find a way out of the problem"said Ashraful. But he did not elaborate.

Although Ashraful was more critical about the performance of the players whom he bracketed as 'cricketers sans commitment', the chief executive, on behalf of the organisation, was bold enough to share some of the blames instead of heaving it on the cricketers solely.

He admitted that apart from the ICC success it had been a story of failures all the way. The Board was a little bit 'relaxed' and should have focused more on the development of local cricket after the Malaysia triumph, said Ashraful.

"We have arranged a number of tours for the national team. The aim of the visit to the British Isles was to acclimatise our players with the unfamiliar conditions as well as to sort out the core of a probable World Cup team,"said Ashraful.

The Board spent more than Taka 75 lakhs for the national team's one and a half month long trip. But at the end of the tour, there was hardly any reassuring show from an ever fickle flock of cricketers. To rub salt to the injury, Akram's men were bundled out for a meagre 97 in their penultimate tour match against Scotland.

"We have been trying with a selected group for quite a long time. But it's not working. It seems that the team needs a major shake-up right now.

"I think we are left with no other option but to switch into the longer version of the game if we are to find out young talents," Ashraful opined while depicting a could-be strategy of the Board.

A cricket organiser of international repute, Ashraful however refuted the allegations against him that he was more involved in international cricket rather than domestic affairs.

"You need money to run the local cricket. And to raise funds for that we are organising international events. But that does not necessarily mean I'm not interested in local cricket,"Ashraful defended himself by saying.

"I have advocated for some drastic changes in the existing format of our cricket. But my opinion was not accepted by the then ad-hoc committee", said Ashraful, who was a vice-president in that National Sports Council (NSC) nominated set-up.

Ashraful was also a member of the earlier development committee. But, surprisingly though, they failed to hold a single meeting in more than a one and a half years.

"We are planning to make the national cricket championships the most colourful event in the annual calendar", said Ashraful.

He admitted that the Board has failed to make the most out of the Caribbean coach Gordon Greenidge.

"He is an employee. It is our duty to use him in best possible stead. No doubt, he was a great player. But as a coach he is a rookie,"said Ashraful.

The BCB appointed Greenidge as coach of the national team before the ICC campaign which was his first coaching assignment.

But with the performance of the local cricketers in decline, it had been widely felt that the former dashing Test opener in company with Gazi Ashraf, who has been surprisingly playing the same role in addition to his managerial job, is either underutilised or overrated.

Source :: The Bangladesh Daily Star (https://www.dailystarnews.com)