Bizarre culmination of an 'obvious decision'

Just before revealing the name of Bangladesh's new ODI captain for the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon on Friday told the fortunate reporters present at his residence, "If you ask anyone, they will tell you who it is going to be. It was an obvious choice."

It was well-known that Shakib Al Hasan was in pole position to lead Bangladesh for the upcoming Asia Cup and ICC World Cup after former ODI captain Tamim Iqbal stepped down due to injury.

What was not obvious at all, however, was the manner of how the captaincy announcement will be made to the media.

It appears that Bangladesh cricket and the uncalled drama surrounding it are bizarrely entangled, almost as if one cannot exist without the other.

Often the simplest of decisions have to end up being complicated, and at times, proceedings occur in a way that makes it seem like the laws of causality have reversed and the most basic sense of normalcy has to play second-fiddle.

And interestingly, to prove the aforementioned notions, one does not need to look too far back in time; sometimes a single week's events would suffice. 

First, BCB called for an emergency board meeting on Tuesday to make the ''obvious'' decision, only to end up giving the mandate to the board president in making the final call. However bizarre it may appear, the captaincy candidates were reportedly not in communication with the BCB prior to the emergency meeting.

The ball thus fell into Papon's court, with the final verdict due before the cut-off date, August 12.

BCB president, however, could not help but prematurely informing adamant reporters of the ''obvious'' decision after he finished his Friday prayers.

The Daily Star called up BCB's media committee chairman, Tanvir Ahmed Titu, to understand why such a mishap had occurred, where a major decision, concerning events as big as the Asia Cup and the World Cup despite being an "obvious" one, was put forth amid selected media houses. 

"Everyone should've received the news together but he (Papon) ended up saying a few things at the request of reporters, who've been there (Papon's residence) since morning. He said he would reveal it in the afternoon. We are working now on the official press release so that it (Shakib being the new ODI captain) is known to all," Titu told The Daily Star yesterday.  

To BCB's credit, this time, it did present a press release after a few hours following Papon's revelation.

For a while now, it has been common to see buzzwords such as 'protocol', and 'process' get thrown right, left, and centre. When BCB complains about its players for not acting properly at times and not following protocols, does the board itself introspect in terms of how it deals with its assets and the media as well? Otherwise, it becomes a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

All in all, how certain off-field events often transpire in the country's cricket does not reflect the culture of a Test-playing nation with over two decades of experience.