Shameful day in Dhanmondi
WHAT ABOUT THE MATCH? Groundsmen at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium sit idly near the pitch yesterday after the Premier Cricket Super League match between Old DOHS and CCS was called off after the league authorities failed to tell the groundsmen about the game. PHOTO: AMRAN HOSSAIN
Farcical doesn't begin to describe what happened at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium yesterday. What was supposed to be the last Premier Cricket Super League game between Cricket Coaching School (CCS) became a scene of immense frustration as the match had to be called off due to, according to the league authorities, an 'unprepared' pitch.
It was miscommunication and incompetence of the highest order of the two BCB standing committees -- CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis) and the grounds committee. A routine Premier League match could not take place due to what could easily be called utter negligence and a lack of responsibility among the committee members and officials.
It will make for funny reading but this was the scene when the two teams arrived a couple of hours before the toss. As the players tried to find the key to the dressing rooms, they saw the groundsmen sleeping in their rooms at 7 o'clock in the morning. After waking up, they were shocked to learn that a match was going to take place, that too a Premier League game. The confusion ended when the umpires and the match referee arrived and after that, the players had an endless wait for the groundsmen to try and prepare the wicket, a near impossible job, especially because it was uncovered from the night before and there was no communication between the powers-that-be and the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium staff. The senior groundsman, who didn't want to be named, said that he got no message from anyone in the grounds committee.
"I didn't know there would be a game today (Saturday). I was at home and I rushed to the ground to see the DOHS and CCS players. Now I have to make something out of this wicket," he said while rolling and spraying water on the wicket. Clearly, the groundsmen were not to blame.
At around noon, match referee Hemayet Siddiky took the two captains -- Mehrab Hossain of Old DOHS and Nazmul Hossain Milon of CCS -- to the centre and it was decided then that since there is no provision in the by-laws for such an occurrence, the match can be called off. "It is not an act of God, so we cannot actually find any ambiguity to hold a game. There is no rain or anything as you can see," said the bemused official, requesting anonymity.
When asked about the incident, CCDM member secretary Iqbal Yousuf Chowdhury Niku said that the grounds committee was aware of the schedule.
"We gave the fixture to the grounds committee on January 31. They knew it very well. Two other matches were being played, so they are supposed to know that the third match will also be held," said Niku, who was reportedly seen threatening different officials from Fatullah.
CCDM coordinator spoke in the same tune that they let the grounds committee know in advance. "I went a bit late but the umpires looked at the pitch. They said it is fine now, but DOHS said they wouldn't play. We schedule the matches after consent from the grounds committee. We cannot decide where the matches will be played," he said, adding that the game will be held today in Fatullah.
But when contacted, the grounds manager did not receive the phone despite repeated attempts.
There are too many examples to pick from, if someone were to draw it as symbolic of Bangladesh cricket. But in a season marred by poor behaviour from players and team officials and below-average umpiring, it is perhaps an unprecedented conclusion.
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