Monday, February 17, was a day Bangladesh cricket would rather sweep under the rug. While the national men's team was having a torrid time in the UAE, getting thrashed by Pakistan Shaheens in a Champions Trophy warm-up, things were not much better back home.

At the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) headquarters in Mirpur, board director Nazmul Abedeen Fahim lost the plot when asked a straightforward question about the absence of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan during an earlier-held meeting of former captains. Instead of clearing the air, he snapped at reporters, dodging questions, and proving once again that transparency is not exactly the board's strong suit.

The meeting led by board president Faruque Ahmed brought together former captains to discuss the state of Bangladesh cricket. Nine of them, including Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Minhajul Abedeen Nannu, Shahriar Nafees, and Liton Das, showed up in person, while Khaled Mashud joined via video call.

Naturally, in the press conference, someone would have asked whether two of the biggest names in the country's cricket history -- Mashrafe and Shakib -- had attended the meeting as part of the former captains' club.

And no sooner had the query regarding Mashrafe began, Nazmul lost his cool. Before the reporter could finish the question, he cut in, "Do you have to… does this question really have to be asked?" His irritation was written all over his face. Instead of a simple "yes" or "no," he waved the matter away with a gruff. "Next question, please," he said.  

When pressed on whether Shakib had joined online, he stiffened further, responded with a clipped "No," and then, in a moment that summed up his entire mood, jabbed his index finger at the direction of reporters as he sneered, "Any more questions… about Shakib?" His body language was aggressive, his impatience unmistakable. "Thank you," the BCB director then said as he walked away, concluding the presser. 

Meanwhile, on the field, the team's performance was doing little to lift the mood. The Bangladesh side in Dubai had a day to forget, getting steamrolled by Pakistan 'A' team in a seven-wicket defeat had raised more questions than answers ahead of the Tiger' Champions Trophy campaign opener against India on Thursday.

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto poses alongside his Pakistan Shaheens counterpart before a warm-up fixture, as part of Champions Trophy preparations, in Dubai on February 17, 2025. Photo: BCB

As the dust settles, the former BKSP coach -- a mentor to several stalwarts of Bangladesh cricket, including Shakib -- should reflect that his frustration was unnecessary, his reaction over the top. A simple, measured response could have ended the matter right there. Instead, he turned a minor issue into yet another episode in BCB's long history of avoiding transparency.

At the end of the day, the real question is not whether Mashrafe and Shakib were invited -- it's the way legitimate questions are brushed aside. In any healthy and thriving cricketing culture, press conferences should be about open dialogue, not about dictating what can and cannot be asked.