The ICC U-19 World Cup final between India and Bangladesh was a heart-pumping affair with both sides giving their all to put up a contest worthy of a grand finale. In the end, it was Akbar Ali and his Bangladesh U-19 side that went on to pip the defending world champions by three wickets.
But the high-quality fixture was marred by ugly scenes of altercation between the cricketers of both sides where they could be seen pushing one another on the field in the immediate aftermath of the game. The International Cricket Council (ICC) took cognizance of the issue and sanctioned five players including three from Bangladesh- Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain and Rakibul Hasan -and two from India -Akash Singh and Ravi Bishnoi for the scuffle.
Since the incident took place the youngs colts of both have been facing criticism for their on-field behaviour. Former World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev wants the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take some strict action against the players in order to set an example. According to Dev, cricket is not about abusing an opponent and the BCCI should deal with them firmly.
“I would like to see the board (BCCI) take some strict action against the players to set an example. Cricket is not about abusing the opponent. I am sure there is enough reason for these youngsters to be dealt with firmly by BCCI,” Kapil was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
The former captain believes that while there is nothing wrong with aggression, the line of decency should not be crossed.
“I welcome aggression, nothing wrong in it. But it has to be controlled aggression. You can’t cross the line of decency in the name of being competitive. I would say it was unacceptable that youngsters put up such an obnoxious display on the cricket field,” he added.
Mohammad Azharuddin also echoed Kapil Dev’s points and said that the youngsters need to be more disciplined.
“I would take action against the errant Under-19 players, but I also want to know what role has the support staff played in educating these youngsters. Act now before it is too late. The players have to be disciplined,” Azharuddin said.
Earlier, another former captain Bishan Singh Bedi has lambasted the Priyam Garg-led team when he termed their behaviour as disgusting and disgraceful.
“You bat, bowl and field badly…happens, but there’s no excuse for behaving badly. The behaviour was disgusting and most disgraceful. The innocence of that age was not visible at all,” Bedi had told Mid Day.
