Bangladesh cricket in deep crisis

We don't think the national cricketers' frustration has blown out of proportion when they have gone for a strike. Now, the task of cricket board is to end the deadlock and bring players back to action in domestic and international matches. The country's wealthiest sports body, the cricket board cannot deny its liability in creating resentment over pay. Former cricket hero Aminul Islam Bulbul blamed its failure for the situation. Cricketers namely Shakib, Tamim and Mushfiq have joined the strike, not in personal interest, as they've raised an 11-point demand. It's cricketers who play for the nation.

Recent ups and downs in Bangladesh team's performance expose absence of a pool of younger cricketers who can replace the current ones. The board has handled the situation with ineptitude. Years after securing Test and ODI status, we have failed to build a solid structure of domestic cricket, replicating the model of Australia. Still the cricketers' strike may have given a wake-up call for addressing all issues. Otherwise, we will not be able to avoid the consequences of countries like Zimbabwe and Kenya that had a lot of cricketing promises in the 1990s.

Atiqur Rahman

Karwanbazar, Dhaka