Comilla Victorians owner Nafisa Kamal, daughter of former International Cricket Council, Asian Cricket Council and Bangladesh Cricket Board president AHM Mustafa Kamal, is a pioneer in that she is the first female cricket organiser of the country.
Not an unknown face in the cricketing arena, Nafisa is looking to come out of her famous father’s shadow and create her own identity.
She however, raised a few eyebrows even before the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 got underway when she informed that her first choice as captain and icon cricketer was Shakib al Hasan. Thanks to the lottery, the Victorians instead got Mashrafe bin Mortaza.
A candid Nafisa though cleared all the confusion surrounding the choice of their skipper in an exclusive interview with Dhaka Tribune. Here are the excerpts:
You are the first female cricket organiser in Bangladesh. What inspired you?
It was my natural choice to get into cricket as my father is my biggest inspiration. I have grown up watching cricket. I even missed classes and exams to watch tournaments. My father used to take me all over the world to watch cricket. I do not think I have missed any major series growing up. I have visited all the stadiums in the world.
Have you ever faced any obstacle being a woman in this arena?
I will not say I have faced any gender-based difficulties till now. But the problem is, I think, there are groupings in this arena.
There are some advantages and difficulties in being the daughter of Lotus Kamal. I think it’s pretty much impossible for me to make a name as an individual as I have to carry my father’s legacy. But as a girl I do not think I have faced any difficulty so far. What overwhelms me though is the fact that I am the only girl involved with cricket.
Players’ payment irregularities marred the first two editions of the BPL. So far it hasn’t reared its ugly head in the ongoing edition. How has your team tackled this problem this time around?
I would like to make it very clear. I am proud to say our foreign players have already been paid fully. We have cleared the payment of [Marlon] Samuels, [Sunil] Narine and [Krishmar] Santokie and they have all gone home very happy and satisfied.
We have already paid 50 percent payment to the local players. They will receive the remaining amount very soon.
Rumours did the rounds that you openly expressed your dissatisfaction after missing out on Shakib as the icon cricketer. What really happened?
Honestly, Shakib is a friend of mine. Moreover, he is very close to my family. That’s the first reason why I wanted him in our side. Secondly, we were initially informed that the icon players would choose their own destination. But, the decision to shift to lottery was changed in the very last moment. So, being a friend, I was dying to have him in my team as it’s easy to work with a friend anywhere you go.
Having missed out on Shakib, I obviously wanted Mashrafe as the captain and icon cricketer. Shakib came to the scene only because he is a friend and we were willing to work together. I think Mashrafe is no less of a leader. They both (Shakib and Mashrafe) are icons of Bangladesh, just like the other four (Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain).