West Indies’ World Cup winning captain Clive Lloyd ended his cricket career with a defeat to Australia. An English newspaper’s headline was, “Sad end of LIoyd’s career.” Today what shall one give headline to Bangladesh T20 cricket team’s captain Mashrafe’s departure from cricket with victory against hosts Sri Lanka? Should we say it, ” A delightful departure,” or “Sad end of Mashrafe’s career?”
There is a rumour in the country’s cricket arena that Mashrafe was forced to bid good-bye to the T20 cricket. The Narail talent wanted to stay more since he was in a good form. But he could not. In this regard, we like to remind the Bangladesh team coach and the Cricket Board President that the coach has nothing to do in cricket unlike football.
If any one can claim credit for victory in a cricket match, it should go to the team captain, and others who played on the field, not to the coach. But in football, coach of a national or club team is held responsible for his team’s dismal performance. And that is why we watched sacking of Dunga, not captain Neumour, for Brazil’s poor performance in the Copa America 2016.
We hope that the Bangladesh cricket team coach from Sri Lanka and the BCB president will agree with us. However, a good captain knows it best when to call it a day and off course with honour.
There is a rumour in the country’s cricket arena that Mashrafe was forced to bid good-bye to the T20 cricket. The Narail talent wanted to stay more since he was in a good form. But he could not. In this regard, we like to remind the Bangladesh team coach and the Cricket Board President that the coach has nothing to do in cricket unlike football.
If any one can claim credit for victory in a cricket match, it should go to the team captain, and others who played on the field, not to the coach. But in football, coach of a national or club team is held responsible for his team’s dismal performance. And that is why we watched sacking of Dunga, not captain Neumour, for Brazil’s poor performance in the Copa America 2016.
We hope that the Bangladesh cricket team coach from Sri Lanka and the BCB president will agree with us. However, a good captain knows it best when to call it a day and off course with honour.
Abdullah Akber
Dhaka
