Dhaka, 10 January (H.S.): Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto candidly revealed on Friday that the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup controversy—centered on uncertainty over matches in India—has inflicted profound psychological tolls on players, who are desperately feigning normalcy despite sleepless nights and exhaustion.
Amid the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) hints at boycotting the tournament unless their games shift from India, Najmul told reporters, “If you look at our World Cup performances, we’ve never played consistently good cricket. Last year we did well, but there were better opportunities we squandered.From my three World Cups, something always happens beforehand, and it affects us.”
He laid bare the pretense: “We try showing it doesn’t matter, that we’re fully professional cricketers. You understand we’re acting—it’s not easy.”
Players strive to compartmentalize distractions for team duty, Najmul stressed, conceding, “Athletes try keeping these aside to perform for the team. Obviously, it’d be better without them, but many things are beyond our control.” On the World Cup, he urged focus: “With the right mindset, wherever we play, our priority must be giving our absolute best for the team.”
Najmul vehemently condemned BCB director M. Najmul Islam’s social media slur branding ex-captain Tamim Iqbal an “Indian agent,” lamenting, “It’s deeply saddening. For a cricketer—our former captain, one of Bangladesh’s most successful, whom we grew up idolizing—to face such words.”
Demanding respect universally, he asserted, “As players, we expect dignity, be it ex-captain, regular, or less successful. Every cricketer craves respect at day’s end.”
Targeting the BCB as players’ guardian, Najmul fumed, “The greatest pain is that the cricket board is our protector; we expect security and support. As a player, I cannot accept such remarks.” Analogizing familially, he explained, “Parents correct at home, not publicly. From someone deemed our guardian, this is utterly unacceptable. As a player, I completely reject it.”
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
