Backwards BCB struggling in digital age

Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud Sujon, who now holds a very important position as BCB director and director of the men's national team, made a very surprising remark by saying that even someone like Shakib Al Hasan is afraid of making decisions due to media backlash.

"Players are unable to play with freedom because of Facebook, YouTube and the media. Even a person like Shakib is afraid of taking decisions. Shakib is the biggest name in Bangladesh cricket and even he thinks twice and asks me if it would be right when it comes to making tough calls," Mahmud revealed in Sunday's episode of Non Striker's End, one of The Daily Star's multimedia shows.

The remarks have birthed ample curiosity.

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Mahmud urges '365 days' of patience

If someone wants to identify one thing in Shakib's character that distinguishes him from others, it is mental toughness. But if Mahmud provides different information about the star's vulnerability in front of social media, we must look seriously into the matter.

While we were unable to get Shakib's thoughts on the matter, it would be unwise to forget that on many occasions Shakib has dismissed others' notions saying: "You can ask him who told you this."

Even if we put aside that specific observation about Shakib, Mahmud's overall view of media pressure on players deserves attention.

It is little surprise that an influential board director talked only about media pressure, paying no heed to the tantrums from BCB higher-ups in public forums about player performances and players retirements, let alone other technical matters, including whether to opt to bat or bowl after winning a toss -- issues that are negatively impacting performances and creating chaos.

To begin to take Mahmud seriously, we must ask whether we can justify this excuse for the team's poor performances but, given that it is a common phenomenon faced by players of teams all over the world, perhaps it is better to deal with it with prudency in order to bring out the best on the field.

Almost everyone can relate to Mahmud's point about twisting facts, but it is the team management and players' duty to navigate criticism on social media.

Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, a mentor to many national team players including Shakib, rightly said: "In modern-day sports, you have to deal with challenges from three fronts -- from on the field, from the media and from fans. If you fail to do so then you are unfit.

"We love to maintain a close relationship with the media in order to get attention. But unfortunately, we only want praise. These kinds of comments can only make the team weaker and create more confusion."

Faheem also wondered whether this issue came to the fore in order to cover up internal problems.

"I believe the players' insecurity comes from the internal atmosphere. There is hardly any doubt that most players feel insecure. But you have to be honest and find out the reason. It sounds ridiculous these days if you say media pressure is playing a role," he opined.

"In cricket, decision-making is all about a 90% mathematical issue. When you want to gamble there are some equations behind it. If you lack that knowledge, you may take a different path such as making excuses like this. If there is any fear factor, then it only can come from within the management not from the outside. Consequences from social media trials will not make them vulnerable, they can only think about the consequences from the higher ups," he added.

Faheem also spoke what has been on the minds of many people, saying: "If players fail to handle the media pressure, then it's the failure of those people who run the show."

Mahmud, during a long discussion where he tried to clear up many things including recent controversies over a few of his comments, urged for one year of patience from the media and fans.

But can we also urge for 365 days of patience and professionalism from the BCB higher-ups, during which time the team will be managed by those who are responsible like other countries, at least if to come out of the current dire state?