Sakib stokes new controversy

Bangladesh captain Sakib al Hasan triggered a new debate by questioning the records of former cricketers who have criticized the wobbling Tigers following Friday’s embarrassing nine-wicket defeat to West Indies.

I feel really bad when I see the former cricketers talk like common fans. They understand a lot, played a lot and went through this kind of situation a lot of times. It is really unsatisfactory, Sakib said in his article in a Bengali daily on Sunday.

His comments came in less than a week after the all-rounder had openly insulted a television journalist at a press conference before the West Indies game. Asked about his game plan at the pre-match press conference, Sakib astonished everyone when he returned the same question to the reporter.

Bangladesh, facing a rampant West Indian attack, appeared clueless and devoid of any plan and was all out for 58, their lowest one-day total. The game ended well before the scheduled innings break, sparking an angry reaction from the fans.

The former cricketers also criticized the team for what they said an careless batting in television talk shows and newspaper columns.

We are in this situation for the first time since the Twenty20 World Cup in 2009. What we are facing once in every two or three years, they faced it more often. So they so should keep it in mind while talking,’ he said.

His comments reasonably did not go well with the formers cricketers who also questioned his authority to write column in the middle of such an important tournament. ‘I think when a tournament is ongoing one should not be allowed to write any column,’ said former captain Roquibul Hasan.

‘It shows a great audacity and a great insult to senior players. He doesn’t know the history of Bangladesh cricket and that is the saddest part,’ he said. ‘I think he should remember he represents his country and if this is the approach of the captain then I am sorry to say that we are headed for bad time.

Another former captain Minhajul Abdein said his insult to former cricketers is like refusing to admit the war of independence. ‘It’s like not recognizing the freedom fighters because of whom we got the independence,’ Minhajul told reporters.

‘Does he know how we got the Test status, how we had won the ICC trophy for which he has been playing the World Cup?

If he talks like this it only means he is not concentrating on his game properly,’ said Minhajul, the first Bangladeshi cricketer to be named man of the match in a World Cup game.