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Miss Hasina Wajid, This time you’ve crossed the line!

I still remember when Hasina Wajid left the stadium before the presentation after Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 2 runs in the Asia Cup 2012 final but not even in my weirdest dreams could I have imagined she; along with the Bangladeshi cricket board would drop this low.

“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) bans local fans from carrying and flying national flags of rival teams in the ICC World T20 that is in progress.”

Bangladesh’s performance in the Asia cup 2014 has been nothing but disappointing. And after they were badly crushed by West Indies in yesterday’s match, the growing tension is no doubt justified. But this was, no doubt ,definitely the wrong way of getting it all out.

What probably drove Hasina even madder was the fact that Shahid Afridi was more popular among the Bangladeshi crowd than she was or can ever be! The crowd’s support for the Pakistani cricket team in the recent Pakistan vs.

Australia match was above all expectations. “Pakistan Zindabad” and “Boom Boom Afridi” echoed in Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka. It was green and white but Hasina wanted to see nothing but green and red—which is seriously weird if you ask me, because Bangladesh wasn’t even playing then! It takes no more than some dude with common sense to figure that out. I wonder who Hasina’s advisors are?

Anyway, the BCB justifies this as a law in Bangladesh but where exactly was this “law” they speak of when the tournament begun? And why did this “law” become so important only before the Pakistan vs.

Bangladesh match on Sunday? Furthermore, keeping in view Bangladesh’s poor performance in the t20, what if they get disqualified from the tournament? Who is the crowd supposed to cheer for then? Because I’m sure they don’t seriously expect people to say “Bangladesh jeetay ga” if they’re not even playing! People come down to the stadium to support the cricket teams playing.

Why would they even bother coming to watch the match if they are not allowed to do so? And more importantly , why did they even agree to host the ICC World T20 if they were not ready to let anyone watch it? Why did they even agree to host the cricket tournament if they did not believe in the very spirit that keeps it alive? I think ICC should think twice before letting Bangladesh host another tournament again, at least till Hasina’s in power.

But no matter what turns out of the matter, one thing’s for sure. They won’t be able to change what cricket truly is. So what if they have no sportsman spirit? They won’t be able to suck out the cricket fever from inside all of us—the very fever that unites not only the citizens of a country among themselves but the whole world as one.

You can take the crowds out of cricket but you can’t take cricket out of the crowds! Time will prove you wrong, Hasina, or may be even the match this Sunday. Remember, this is cricket—where things can turn around even in the last over, the last ball. Just wait and watch… or like we say in Pakistan: "Picture abhi baaki hai, meray dost!" 

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