Confidence projected as uncertainty persists

With less than a month to go before the ICC T20 World Cup begins on February 7, the national team players should be using the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to iron out their flaws before the big dance. Instead, they are left in limbo, uncertain whether they will even take part in the tournament. 

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the second time on Thursday, outlining security concerns over travelling to India, and is now awaiting a response from the world cricket’s governing body, which is expected to arrive soon.  

Amid such uncertainty, Bangladesh named a 15-member squad for the event on Sunday – with scope to make changes till January 31.

Preparing for the World Cup in such a scenario could take a mental a toll on the players. However, all-rounder Mahedi Hasan -- captain of the Chattogram Royals and one of the 15 named for World Cup -- played down the issue after leading his side to a two-wicket win over Rajshahi Warriors in Sylhet on Friday. 

“Uncertainty is a management issue -- something for the officials to deal with. The players’ job is simply to play,” Mahedi said after the match.

“Even if you send players to Mars, they will go and play. I don’t think any player has any doubts about that,” he added.

But not everyone shared Mahedi’s confidence. His counterpart in the same match and the player who led Bangladesh in the previous T20 World Cup, Najmul Hossain Shanto, had a different take.

Shanto, who is not part of the World Cup for the upcoming edition, said from past experiences that such events do affect players, even though they often prefer not to speak about it publicly.

“You’ll notice that before every World Cup, something or other happens with us. As a player who has played in a few World Cups, I can tell you that such things have an effect,” he said after the match.

“We put on an act that nothing affects us, that we are highly professional cricketers. But even you all know that we are acting. It’s not easy. 

“In my view, players still try to figure out how to put these things aside and perform for the team. But it would be better if these issues didn’t exist. At the same time, I’d say this situation is beyond our [players’] control.”