It’s affecting us but we’re acting as if it’s ok: Bangladesh Test captain on T20WC impasse
Shanto also criticized Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Director M Najmul Islam, who called former skipper Tamim Iqbal an agent of India after Iqbal called for a measured and pragmatic approach to resolve the current impasse.
Bangladesh’s participation in the show was marred by controversy after the BCB asked the ICC to move the team’s matches outside India, citing security concerns.
“First of all, if you look at our World Cup results, we’ve never played consistently good cricket. We played well last year but there were better opportunities and we didn’t take them.
“But you will always see that something happens before every World Cup. Based on my experience of three World Cups, I can say that it has an impact,” Shanto told reporters on Friday.
“Now we act as if nothing affects us, as if we are completely professional cricketers. You understand that we are acting, it is not easy,” he added.
Shanto said the players try to put these distractions aside and perform for the team. “Of course it would be better if these things didn’t happen, but that’s partly out of our control,” he said.
The World Cup starts on February 7 and Bangladesh is scheduled to play four matches (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai) in India.
They demanded that these matches be moved to Sri Lanka after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from the IPL on the instructions of the BCCI and cited “developments not mentioned anywhere” to justify the decision.
“I don’t know the details of how the incident happened or how it could have been brought under control. However, I can say that it is difficult to even take action in such situations,” Shanto said.
“If we go to the World Cup and play anywhere, we have to focus on how to do our best for the team with the right mentality,” he said.
BCB manager’s comment on Tamim is sad
Shanto also expressed deep regret over BCB director M Najmul Islam calling former captain Tamim Iqbal an “India agent”.
“It’s very sad, very sad because such comments were made about a cricketer who is a former captain and I think one of the most successful cricketers in Bangladesh, who we grew up watching,” Shanto said.
“As players, we expect respect – be it a former captain, a regular player, whether he is successful or unsuccessful. At the end of the day, a cricketer expects to be respected,” he said.
BCB’s Shanto was “supposed to be our protector” but ended up making an unacceptable statement.
“”Parents should correct you at home, not in front of everyone. Therefore, it is very difficult to accept such an interpretation from someone who is supposed to be our protector. “As an actor, I completely reject this,” he said.
