#Title

A fixer-upper with no fix in sight
NABID YEASIN
An act of publicly taking the blame and responsibility, an initiation or indication of setting in motion an overhaul, or a statement of how things are to be taken from here on -- none of the aforementioned measures or steps were taken by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) even as over a fortnight passed since Bangladesh closed their disastrous World Cup campaign.
Perhaps it is nothing surprising from a board that usually thrives in doing things unconventionally.
Hence, it is only understandable that, unlike England team director Rob Key, no one from the BCB brass came up and admitted the ‘fault in approach’, changes were not made in the selection panel or the leadership like it was done by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and nor any clear indication about on whom the board will be keeping its faith on moving forward -- like it was done by the England Cricket Board (ECB) after their 2015 World Cup debacle -- were made.
Yesterday was perhaps the busiest day in the country’s cricketing fraternity since the World Cup in India. It was supposed to be a busy one, with it being the day before the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Tigers open their latest chapter of the World Test Championship cycle through their first Test against New Zealand in Sylhet.
However, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon and former ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal’s separate appearances in front of the media only added to the commotion.
But, what did all that amount to? Zilch, unfortunately.
It was the first time that the BCB president Hassan met with Tamim after he had been dropped from the World Cup squad -- an incident that transpired hot on the heels of a lot of hullabaloo.
Following his omission from the squad, Tamim had said that he did not ‘want to be a part of the dirty game’ that goes on in Bangladesh cricket.
Exactly two months after Tamim’s serious allegations, the BCB president yesterday promised to ‘understand’ and ‘get to the bottom of the problem’ before taking a decision which will be ‘after the [national] elections [next year January] when the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) starts’.
Tamim, in his press briefing during which he refused to take questions, only informed of his willingness to wait it out till Hassan unearths the issues and takes some ‘strict decisions’.
While that was the scenario in the capital, Shanto, in his press conference in Sylhet, mentioned his eagerness to take on the responsibility of the side in all three formats for the long term, if the board sees him fit for the role.
From the vantage point of a professional, Shanto’s expression of desire is logical. As things stand, Bangladesh cricket remains in an uncertain state -- at the mercy of interims and stopgap fixes aimed at getting by one series or one tour at a time.
Regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who had already said even before the World Cup began that he would not be leading the Tigers in ODIs after the showpiece event, is not near the cricketing actions, and he won’t be anytime soon with the all-rounder rehabilitating from a finger injury and busy with preparations for the national elections after being granted nomination.
Experienced campaigner Tamim said he would be back through the BPL next year, but as far as his international career is concerned, things are still murky like it has been for a while.
Given the situation, BCB boss Hassan, who has been in charge of the board for over a decade, might just have to get on with his plans of ‘fixing the team’ sooner.