Families of the Bangladesh cricketers have demanded foolproof security arrangements when the team are on away tours.
The demand has been raised by many of the parents and guardians of the Bangladesh cricketers who could have been victims of the tragic terror attack in Christchurch, New Zealand Friday.
A group of the touring Bangladesh side were on way to the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch for the Friday afternoon prayers.
Luckily it was just a fraction of minutes that the cricketers didn’t fell prey to the terrorist attack that claimed at least 49 lives.
New Zealand Cricket and BCB following the horrific event took the decision to call off the third and final Test match, scheduled to start at Hagley Oval in Christchurch Saturday.
What has raised eyebrows following the incident was when it was learnt the group of 17 Bangladesh team members were without any security or a local liaison officer.
The @BCBtigers cricket team are on their way back to Dhaka, following terror attacks at two mosques in Christchurch.https://t.co/TO2jUbT1pM#BCBTIGERS #BCB #TIGERS #CRICKET #BANGLADESH #BANGLADESHCRICKET #KIWIS #NEWZEALAND #NEWZEALANDCRICKET #NZC #NEW #ZEALAND #BANGLADESHTEAM
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) March 16, 2019
Different reasons have already been discussed regarding the issue but many are still finding it hard to swallow.
Mahbub Habib, father of Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim, said it was fortunate that nothing happened to any of the team members.
But looking into the aftermath of the attack, he said things could just have gone horribly wrong.
Urgent arrangements were made to bring the Bangladesh team back home.
The cricketers are scheduled to reach Dhaka Saturday night.
“BCB as the governing body of cricket in the country should ensure that our children are secured before sending them on tour, like we do when there are visitors in our country. You see we were fortunate that no damage was done to our children, but what if something had happened? The overall outcome of the incident is horrific. I believe the incident will make the concerned realise the necessities in terms of team security,” said Habib to Dhaka Tribune Saturday.
The @BCBtigers is shocked and deeply saddened by Friday's dreadful attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.https://t.co/fG1ytIOGzL#BCBTIGERS #BCB #TIGERS #BANGLADESH #CRICKET #BANGLADESHCRICKET #NEWZEALAND #NEWZEALANDCRICKET #NZC #KIWIS #NEW #ZEALAND #CHRISTCHURCH
— Dhaka Tribune Sports (@Sport_DT) March 15, 2019
“Life is priceless and nothing in the world can repay it. It is unfortunate that other countries speak so much about security in Bangladesh but till date there has been no occurrence related to any of the sports team here. It was alarming to learn that the person who is responsible behind the terror attack has been showing his negative sentiments on social media for the past few months, but their local authority never took a stance. If it was in Bangladesh, that person would have been traced out and ensured that he could not make any damage to the society. That is how we are different and secured,” Mushfiq’s father added.
Soumya Sarkar was one of the 17 Bangladesh team members who found himself in the deadly incident, and was the first in the team bus to notice people drenched in blood.
Once he made the others realise the situation they were in, the team first took to the ground in the bus for some minutes before deciding to walk back to Hagley Oval, which is some 20 minutes away.
“He was terrified and sounded very disturbed when he gave me the call to inform of the situation they luckily survived. He was in the hotel by then and was safe but still couldn’t get out of the trauma,” said Pushpen Sarkar, elder brother to Soumya.
“They could have been part of the incident if they had reached the place just a few minutes earlier, and shockingly they had no one to protect them, despite being an international sports team on tour. I am sure BCB being the ultimate guardian of the cricketers will make note of this and ensure the national assets are protected in every way possible,” said Pushpen, who had a short stint in professional cricket.
The Bangladesh cricketers following a month-long break will regroup in Dhaka for the practice camp for the tri-nation series in Ireland in May, followed by the World Cup 2019 in England and Wales.