Beyond the boundary - We Need Protection (2 June 1999)

2 June 1999

Beyond the boundary - We Need Protection

Shakil Kasem

Understandably, it will be quite a while before this national euphoria quietens down to acceptable levels. The future then needs to be charted and in earnest.

There is just that discernible hint of pathos underlying our team's performance. Having made the rest of the world sit up and take notice, the cricketers are going to come back and find they have no place they can call their own. The Bangabandhu National Stadium, so long the scene and hub of our cricketing activities, both domestic and international, is now lost to football.

Ever since the ICC triumph there had been talk at all levels, and promises made, that the National Stadium would be handed over to cricket. The fact that it has not been done yet, is perhaps less galling than the spectacle of renovation work that has been carried out in the middle of the square, nullifying and negating the effects of the crores of takas pumped into its very arteries, until now.

There has to be a blueprint that needs to be chalked up and put into place, as far as the future projections and plans for Bangladesh cricket are concerned. High on the agenda must be the demand for an exclusive ground that the Bangladesh Cricket Board can call its own. Cricket and cricketers have performed at every level of the game so far to stake such a claim. There has to be a concerted public demand and outcry, a form of citizen's appeal to the powers that be, so that this long felt need is fulfilled. The first step towards developing our infrastructure in our quest for Test status, which is now likely to be sooner rather than later, must be the headquarters of the game itself.

Bangladesh Cricket Board must then put into practice, what has been preached by every self-respecting Test playing country over the years. It must formulate without any delay, a format of the longer versions of the game at the domestic level. The acid test of any batsman or bowler at the topmost level of the game, is his ability to perform for protracted periods of time. This is only possible when they have the required temperament, technique and the concentration levels relevant for the purpose. Only the longer version of the game allows them that luxury.

Even at the school level such a programme must be put in place, for this is where the nursery of the game in this country is likely to be. Granted, there will be difficulties in arranging grounds and other logistics. Therefore there has to be governmental effort and assistance in overcoming this problem. It is time indeed for the government to evolve a national policy for the game, preferably for a period of ten to fifteen years, whereby the BCB in conjunction with the Ministry concerned is able to formulate and implement the necessary actions, that are now the crying need of the hour. For want of a more persuasive exhortation, cricket simply needs protection and patronage from the highest level.

Cricket has managed, more than any other activity so far, to instil a sense of pride and identity in all of us. Achievements on the cricket field have always been non-controversial and above board, unlike many others that we sometimes claim for ourselves. It has been the single most unifying factor of our country's population. Perhaps, cricket could be the vehicle to drive this nation forward. Not quite an unreasonable thought, and certainly more palatable than a host of others that come to mind. Give cricket a chance.

Source :: The Daily Star