Let no one fool you, security is a problem all over the world and in the coming months we will all look towards Asia, where Bangladesh will be hoping to host the World T20 tournament in March. Right now, it is very hard for officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to be working in an environment where one fool can send their cricket back some 20 years. Cricket in Asia has always been played under heavy security because of the volatile nature of that part of the world. Sri Lankan cricketers were put under the gun in Lahore, Pakistan, in 2009, and since then there has not been an international ball bowled in that country. West Indies also forfeited their World Cup match against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in 1996 because of trouble created by the rebel Tamil Tigers, and there have been times when cricket has been cancelled in India because of unruly crowd behaviour.
Bangladesh cricket is about to receive a shot in the arm—no pun intended—, with the hosting of the World T20 tournament and the Asia Cup in their neck of the woods. When countries host tournaments like this, they benefit tremendously in terms of financial gain and also from the visibility given to the rest of the world. Also, young people in that part of the world and across the world will get the chance to see their heroes and will be more motivated to take up the game. The benefits are innumerable, but one mistake in a volatile region could send the game back many years.
Nazmul Hassan, BCB president, hasn’t yet made a big statement without backing it with facts. His assertion on the significance of the next three months for Bangladesh, as a result, holds a lot of meaning. Hassan claims to have crossed the first of many hurdles by convincing Sri Lanka and Pakistan to take a positive view of their visits to Bangladesh. Most poignantly, however, he believes that despite their efforts of persuasion, one small incident before the tournament could destroy Bangladesh cricket. There are obviously two ways to view this statement. The easy route would be note that he seems unconvinced of Bangladesh’s security situation, particularly because although he is a Bangladeshi, he seems to be giving a negative view of his countrymen’s ability to maintain the peace or security over the next couple months. There won’t be many to blame him.
My discussion with at least one member of the West Indies Cricket Board did not leave me confident that the West Indies will be going to Dhaka to play their games. He said that as far as he is concerned, the series should not be played there because safety has to be the number one priority. He went further to ask what the cricket boards across the world would tell the people in something goes wrong. Well, one hopes that good sense prevails and all stakeholders in Bangladesh can realize the damage that could result from countries not touring there. Both political parties have been meeting with the BCB and dialogue is ongoing. In the meantime, they have made public calls to their supporters to keep the peace and to look at the larger picture. However, when one wants to make a statement the best way to do so is by doing it in the full presence of the media. With the world’s eyes trained on Bangladesh with the media present, it makes the situation pregnant with possibilities for someone to make a statement. I also want to applaud the cricket authorities in Sri Lanka. In today’s business environment, which is fierce, Sri Lanka cricket has decided to throw their support behind Bangladesh. If the Asia Cup and World T20 is not played in Bangladesh, it is likely to go to Sri Lanka. So the Sri Lankans stand to benefit tremendously if Bangladesh is not able to host the event. Rather than compete against their rivals, however, the Sri Lankans have instead decided to throw their support behind the Bangladeshis, saying that in days gone by when teams did not want to tour Sri Lanka because of violence, Bangladesh was willing to make such tours. Still, whatever happens, I am sad to say that the future of both of these tournaments lies not in the boards but a fool, or group of them.
guardian.co.tt/sport/2014-01-18/when-fool-can-set-nation-back
