When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers’ is an old African proverb. In the case of the mess unfolding prior to next month’s World Cup T20 to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the elephants are the cricket boards/governments of India and Bangladesh, and the grass is Bangladesh’s beleaguered cricketers who, as things stand, look likely to miss the world event.
The trigger for yet another political crisis within the world of cricket was the uncalled-for decision by the BCCI to force the KKR franchise to dump Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for next month’s IPL. This was under pressure from right-wing forces who objected to a Bangladeshi cricketer in India’s domestic T20 league, following the violence inflicted on the minority Hindu community. From there onwards, reactionary anti-India forces in Bangladesh took hold of the narrative, and the issue spiralled out of control. With elections due next month, these radical elements have stepped up their anti-India rhetoric, and the BCCI played into their hands with their foolish move. The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) claims that their team faces a security risk for their matches to be played in India and their demand that the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift them to Sri Lanka just weeks before the major event defied all logic. The ICC sent a security delegation to assess the situation and reported that there was no threat to Bangladesh’s cricketers, officials, media or travelling fans and, therefore, the BCB’s demand lacked any validity. Comparisons with India refusing to play in Pakistan carry no water, as there is a very clear threat perception to our team in that scenario. Further, the Indian football team travelled to Dhaka in November to play in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and had to face a hostile crowd. That the ICC voted 14-2 to deny Bangladesh’s demand to have their matches shifted at this eleventh hour sent across a clear message that the issue lacked any merit. The Pakistan cricket authorities, backed by their government, have been fishing in troubled waters and backing Bangladesh in this messy affair. The BCB and the interim Bangladesh government played a game of brinkmanship with the ICC, who, however, did not back down. The Bangladesh players themselves expressed their deep concern at missing the tournament. But their feelings were brushed aside. Now the scheduled white-ball tour by the Indian team in September will almost certainly be cancelled, leading to a massive financial loss for the BCB and, consequently, the players themselves. This, in effect, is nothing less than a self-goal on the part of our Eastern neighbours.
