Burden of stardom stunting Tigers’ growth

The act of clinging to past legacies is hindering the evolution of Bangladesh men's team, opines prominent coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.

Despite the Tigers' string of historic victories under Nazmul Hossain Shanto's leadership against New Zealand of late, the seasoned analyst raises doubts about whether this success will usher in a new era for the team in the coming year.

Fahim stated that he his hope for a stable team in 2023 vanished after the disastrous performance during October-November in India – where the Tigers were the first team to crash out of the apex event.

"If you want to make your presence felt in world cricket and create an image, you must do something in the bigger stages but we miserably failed in the last World Cup.

"We are still chasing star players like Shakib [Al Hasan] and Tamim [Iqbal], but we need to understand that if we want to take our cricket to the next level on the international stage, we need to produce better players than them," Fahim told The Daily Star.   

While acknowledging the contributions of the generational talents, Fahim questions their impact on the team's global ranking during their prime.

"Shakib is without a doubt our biggest star. We have other players in his generation like Tamim, Mushy [Mushfiqur Rahim], and we cannot dispute that they have transformed the face of our cricket on the world arena and we cannot undervalue their commitment to our cricket.

"However, we must recognise that the fact is that we are at the bottom of the world cricket table during their prime time. They were unable to propel our squad into the top five. So, if we want to make changes, we need to unearth better players in line with greater team performance."              

The veteran coach criticizes the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for its inconsistency in gauging the right time to expose or bid farewell to players. Expressing concern for the future of emerging stars like Shanto, Fahim stresses the need for consistent opportunities to nurture their growth.

"Yes, there are some rays of hope at the end, but what happens now? Under Shanto's leadership, the team demonstrated once again that we have the components to become a good and competitive team. However, there is always one missing link that jeopardises our continuity.     

"I would not say that the current team has players who can solve all of our problems. We will have to judge them after some time, but there are indications that we can move forward with new ideas with this new bunch of players."

Fahim acknowledges the team's potential under Shanto's leadership but questions the wisdom of persisting with Shakib.

"However, looking at the case of Shanto, we do not see a very encouraging sign for our future. I wouldn't say Shanto accomplished everything, but he has already proven that he deserves a long-term opportunity to develop as a future leader. But are we willing to give him that chance?

"Ideally, a break from captaincy will be detrimental to Shanto. A break will impede his advancement as a leader. If we want to give him ample time to mature as a captain and establish a team with fresh aspirations and hopes, now is the moment for the board to declare him a permanent captain."

Fahim believes Shakib and Tamim would both rue the day they realise how their toxic relationship harmed Bangladesh cricket. His poignant warning serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between individual relationships and the broader implications for the success of Bangladesh cricket as the Tigers stands at a critical juncture.