As unedifying and disheartening as the now-famous gesture by a cricketer of the standing and popularity of Shakib Al Hasan was, it was still an act by one individual perhaps caught in a maelstrom of his own fame and emboldened by past misconducts overlooked. Much more disheartening and culpable was the Bangladesh team -- led by skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, along with coach Shane Jurgensen and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza -- pleading with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon to lift the three-match ban on Shakib.
Since the dizzy peaks of the 2012 Asia Cup Bangladesh had emerged as a team in the true sense, not relying on individuals as they went on to win the next two home series without, for large parts, the services of stalwarts like Shakib and Tamim Iqbal. Their absence allowed the likes of Mominul Haque, Anamul Haque, Shamsur Rahman, Shohag Gazi and Nasir Hossain to grow into their roles and give the team a more robust constitution. The progress talked of happened, supposedly now it seems, in the spheres of team ethics and self-confidence. This request -- made because the team needs him ahead of the Asia Cup as a player like Tamim Iqbal is injured -- flies in the face of those tenets.
Let us for a moment see Shakib's indiscretion and subsequent punishment through an international prism, for that is the standard this team supposedly aspires to. England's Kevin Pietersen -- the architect of some of the greatest innings of the past decade -- was unceremoniously sacked because he did not fit in with the team's ethos. New Zealand have regularly kept out a talent like Jesse Ryder, even when a champion like Daniel Vettori is unavailable, because of alcohol-related misdemeanours.
Australia refused to consider one of the greatest of all time, Shane Warne, for captaincy because of his off-field shenanigans and also refused to pick Andrew Symonds at a time when their cricket was suffering. David Warner was sent away from the Ashes in England last year for a misdemeanour in a nightclub. While all the others were caught in some act or the other, Shakib wilfully flouted team discipline and broadcast it for all to see.
What, we are left to ask, does this request tell the other members of the team, especially the juniors? Will they not draw the conclusion that as long as they perform, regardless of whether they help the team cause or not (Shakib's gesture came hot on the heels of him playing an irresponsible shot when the team needed him to stay out there) they can behave in whatever way they want? As far as Shakib goes, this request and heavens forefend if it is accepted, will just serve to remind him that he continues to be above the law.
The trio that led the team in the request have done much to improve team ethic and above all install a sense of equality throughout the national setup, which is why their clamouring for Shakib to get special treatment is especially alarming. It can be argued that this very attitude has brought Shakib to this juncture. It seems to have been born of a desire to do well in the Asia Cup, a tournament in which -- notwithstanding the unexpectedly excellent performance in the last edition -- Bangladesh start as underdogs. But pinning hopes on one player rightly punished for misconduct is at best misguided.
Papon, if he stands his ground, will be right in drawing a line in the sand -- even if the team suffers in the short run, it is surely a small price to pay to impress upon the team that discipline is paramount, regardless of where a player stands in the wickets and runs column or on an international ranking chart.