Agency :
Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafee bin Mortaza insisted that Bangladesh Cricket Board should have been more patient with the cricketers during the ongoing ICC World T20 as he felt players were unable to handle pressure from the board.
BCB president Nazmul Hasan had come down heavily on the team after their opening-match defeat to Scotland in the Qualifiers. Nazmul’s outburst seemed to have an impact on the dressing room atmosphere and skipper Mahmudullah didn’t hold back his emotions after they secured their berth in the Super 12s, stating that it was unfair to raise questions over the players’ commitment.
Nazmul then shot back at skipper Mahmudullah for his ’emotional outburst’, saying that he never questioned the players’ commitment. All these exchanges happened before Bangladesh started their campaign in the Super 12s, which according to Mortaza had an impact on the players’ performances as Bangladesh were eliminated following five straight defeats.
“The players succumbed to the pressure that came from the board’s criticism,” he said on Thursday.
“Nobody from their board (BCCI) says anything about the team’s poor performance, despite what is being said in the mainstream media and social media. This is because they know what to do next,” he said.
Mortaza was also critical of head coach Russell Domingo, stating in a Facebook post that the team management was a “rehab centre” for unemployed South African coaches. Mortaza said Domingo should be accountable the team’s performances as he failed to deliver as the head coach.
“The coach has to take responsibility. I don’t think he had a particular plan for the World Cup. My question is: why does the new coach always experiment with our team? Why does the cricket board agree to it? I think the coach should be held accountable, even when he is given the freedom to do his work. When there’s no accountability, when their salary is guaranteed for the next six months, the coaches don’t care about anything. I think we have to think about the coach now,” he said.
BCB has extended Domingo’s tenure for two more years, with the South African having already signed the contract papers after the match against West Indies.
