Rafiq has much to answer
It's obvious that the players face the wrath of any bad performance on the field. And there was no exception when Mohammad Ashraful's men suffered the heartbreaking six-wicket defeat to Ireland which confirmed their early exit from the ongoing ICC World Twenty20.
One may argue with the facts that it's just yet another defeat for the Tigers and anybody can win in this fresh genre of the game but still this setback left many questions to answer, not only with the players but also with the folks who work behind the scene.
For a team like Bangladesh, it's very important to have a right combination of people in and around the team. And the question was raised whether the current team is void of this. The chief of selection committee is now a very vital component in the making of a good team because his innovative thinking, courageous decisions and overall motivation skills can make a huge contribution to the team's performance.
It was proved earlier that the man in the hot seat can be a bridge between the players and coach, but there has been hardly any evidence that the incumbent chairman of the selection committee, Rafiqul Alam, and his two other colleagues can uphold these important qualities.
Rather it seems that under his leadership the three-member committee has been just maintaining an 'academic' approach towards the formation of the team in their nearly two-year stint.
And the T20 World Cup team was the latest example of their conventional thinking. It's true that the exodus of some important players to the unauthorised Indian Cricket League (ICL) made their job difficult but still the way they formed the T20 team for the World Cup surprised many. It seems that there is no difference between Test, one-day and T20 cricket to Rafiqul and Company.
Rafiq, affectionately called Bagh mama for his careless batting, has hardly showed any courage and innovation in the formation of the T20 squad when most of all the other teams came up with some new ideas with fresh blood.
Rafiq and his men got enough time to make a perfect T20 combination but there were hardly any signs that they had any special plan and groundwork with the showcase event in England, rather it apparently looked that they took it as just another series.
If not then how could Rokibul Hasan be considered for this format of the game. The inclusion of the gritty right-hander and pacer Shahadat Hossain only reflected the traditional mind-set of the Rafiqul-led committee.
Since he took over the helm of affairs from former national skipper Faruque Ahmed in August 2007, Rafiq could hardly add anything for which he can be credited rather there is a popular saying that "their main job is to bring two new players in every series and thus drop two".
The cynic even whispered that the team is made elsewhere in which this three-member committee just put their pens.
If you are a selector you definitely can't satisfy everybody but for Rafiq the question is not like that because there is hardly anything provided by his men which even can make even an interesting debate.
So, the time has come to evaluate the performance of Rafiqul & Co. But then the question is: Who will carry it out?
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