| Rebels without a cause? Courtesy Daily Star 14/10/08 Quazi Zulquarnain Islam FOURTEEN matches, 126 runs and six months after making his debut for the Tigers, Dhiman Ghosh handed in his retirement to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and defected to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
It would have been, in and of itself, a matter of chagrin, but on September 14 there was hardly enough time for perspective.
Six more retirement letters reached the board in quick succession. Only one, by ex-captain Habibul Bashar, was somewhat expected. The others from Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Forhad Reza and the aforementioned Ghosh came as something of a shock.
That Bashar would want to make the comfort of the ICL his retirement home cannot be held against him. But his comments certainly fly in the face of reason. "ICL never asked us to stop playing for our country," he said. "That is the main reason we joined. Perhaps people back home haven't understood properly."
Perhaps Bashar himself hasn't understood properly.
So the ICL has not asked him to stop playing, but he has anyway. What was then the reason for the resignation letter citing "improper structure" as the motive behind quitting?
For the others that explanation might have held sway. For Bashar, who is in his mid-thirties and has thrived under the direction of the very system he was now downplaying, it showcased the lack of commitment that characterised his last days as captain.
And what of the aforementioned Dhiman Ghosh, who was apparently frustrated at being in and out of the squad. Six months into his international career, a handy cheque from BCB in his pocket and the experience of three BCB-funded Australia trips later, the wicket-keeper decided he had given all he could to his country. Yes, the board had been very harsh with him.
Which brings us to Shahriar Nafees. Once touted as the future cricket captain, Nafees is an educated man (a relative novelty amongst his peers), a centurion against Australia, and a talented cricketer to boot. What drove him to retire from the national team?
The reasons he gave were atrocious. Frustration at being in and out of the side? Who is to blame for that but Nafees himself? If you keep under-performing, you have no place in the side. That's the rule. The time-honoured solution has usually been to put your head down and concentrate on getting your spot back. Nafees' conduct throughout the entire affair reeks not because it may be a shortcut to riches for the opener, but because he had the temerity to blame others for his own shortcomings.
The only person absolved of all blame should be Mohammad Rafique. A long and distinguished career in the game and years of service to Bangladesh cricket later, Rafique can go play wherever he likes. Bangladeshis all over will follow his fortunes closely.
Even worse than the mass exodus is the manner in which the players are subsequently defending their actions. Hiding behind a façade of righteousness may get them sleep at night, but let's call a spade a spade. The going got tough for them, and they exited stage.
Of course the money was a sweetener, but then they weren't exactly short of that if the figures revealed by the board are anything to go by.
The mass migration towards the supposed greener fields of the ICL is not necessarily a display of "un-patriotism." But it does display a distinct lack of character, especially when combined with the manner in which it was done.
Let me point out here that the ICL is not a philanthropic, poorly-performing-nation-promoting organisation. It is the corporate plaything of a man trying to push the buttons of the organisation that did not grant him rights to a cricket series he believed he should have won on merit.
In short, our players are there because of blatant corporate marketing and the parent corporation's helplessness in the face of pressure from the powerful Indian cricket board. We may blame the BCB for being petty and draconian, but it is hard to argue that defecting to the ICL is a solution.
The ICL exists to promote the ZEE network. They do not care about the Bangladeshi players -- who are just there to provide a service and get paid in return. A service, one might add, whose intricacies they have learnt thanks to the government of Bangladesh's patronage through the BCB.
Playing for the BCB does not equate playing for Bangladesh. Many players do not play for their nations due to conflict with coaches and governing bodies. But many more shake aside those problems in order to represent their country -- for the honour and respect it brings. And others are even prepared to go that extra distance.
Wanting to graze on greener pastures is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is it wrong in and of itself. What was shameful though were the actions that preceded that move. A mass resignation to showcase your displeasure shows not far-sightedness but a lack of moral fibre and principle.
And doing that while giving up the chance to represent your nation for the interest of corporations and personal gain shows, in my opinion, un-patriotism. It displays a lack of the basic characteristics, which define an upstanding man. There are players in the pipeline who are not ready yet, but more committed than this lot.
We look forward to them.
Quazi Zulquarnain Islam writes sports for The Daily Star. | |