Furious BCB boss asks for explanations, hints big change

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan came out with a stern reaction following Bangladesh’s 17-run defeat in the second and final Test at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka Sunday.

A batting failure in the second innings saw Bangladesh fail in their 231-run chase to an inexperienced West Indies Test team, and concede a 2-0 series whitewash.

The humiliation was a bit too much for BCB boss Nazmul to take and he hinted big change in the dressing room in terms of management and operations.

“The solution (of not doing well particularly in Tests) is simple and it will be solved. You cannot allow running things this way. I did not say much after the defeat against Afghanistan (in 2019) but I want to say (Sunday), we are in need of a change anyhow,” said Nazmul to the media following the defeat.

The BCB chief claimed a big lack of communication within the team and the decision makers and that he will ask for explanation from everyone involved. 

Nazmul said Bangladesh think-tank following the defeat to the Windies in the first Test had decided to bring change in combination but that did not see the light of day.  

“I try to find out what is actually happening but no one is able to give me an answer. I ask Akram Khan (BCB cricket operations committee chairman) and he has no answer. I asked, ‘What was the team plan to bat in the second innings?’ No one knows. I asked the selectors and even they don’t know because they are not being able to go close to the team. We need to find out what is happening,” said Nazmul.

“We discuss and decide changes in the team. We have five pacers in the dressing room but they are not being played. They were supposed to play in Chittagong but it did not happen. Even in this game I knew they will play at least two pacers, but it did not happen. Captain (Mominul Haque) and coach (Russell Domingo) are the decision makers and I will of course ask for an explanation. Not only them, I will ask everyone involved,” he added.

“When I heard Shakib (al Hasan) is injured and that we will need a replacement for the second Test, we made a list of options. I had Akram, Minhajul Abedin, Khaled Mahmud and Habibul Bashar in front of me. I gave them four to five options which included Mahmudullah then Mosaddek Hossain, Sheikh Mahadi and Soumya Sarkar as the fourth option. They chose Soumya,” Nazmul informed.