‘I fail to fathom the value of women cricketers’

Former Bangladesh captain Rumana Ahmed has been absent from the national fold since last year's Asia Cup, yet her voice has only grown louder online. Speaking to The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan, the 34-year-old all-rounder shared her concerns over dwindling domestic opportunities and a future she fears is slipping away. The excerpts of the conversation are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): You've been vocal about women's cricket for quite some time. What's driving this?

Rumana Ahmed (RA): I've become frustrated seeing that we are always being treated differently, and we don't see the concerned bodies thinking much of our girls.

DS: The Women's Bangladesh Premier League (WBPL) didn't happen, domestic opportunities are shrinking, and there's no preparation before the fast-approaching World Cup. How do you see the current state?

RA: WBPL has never been materialised. Every year, they promise to hold the event from next year. Then, the discussion ends with it. The board even failed to draw a proper plan to give the women's team an ideal scenario for World Cup preparation. Moreover, they have only one tournament [Women's Dhaka Premier League] each year to judge the players, and there is favouritism in selecting the players as well. To be honest, I fail to fathom the value of women cricketers in Bangladesh.

DS: Is the board neglecting the pipeline, relying on just 18-20 players?

RA: The men's team benefits from various support squads with specific roles, but sadly, nothing like that exists for women's cricket.

DS: How do you rate Nazmul Abedeen Fahim's work since taking charge of the women's wing?

RA: We also had high expectations of him. But I only witnessed the number of games reduced in his tenure, rather than increased. Before he took charge, we played in the NCL [National Cricket League] and BCL [Bangladesh Cricket League]. This year, in the BCL, there were a total of three matches, but the tournament ended after two games. They planned to host the match later, but they didn't organise that. As domestic tournaments, only the Premier League took place this year. They are only working with 20-25 cricketers, so how do you form the pipeline?

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DS: A big team like Rupali Bank skipped this year's WDPL. Did that hurt players financially?

RA: Our women players earn some money from this one tournament. But the players' payment was reduced drastically this year. The teams didn't pay the money on time, whereas the payment amount is also very low. Good teams don't want to come here right now, as there is no councillorship in women's cricket.

DS: What urgent steps are needed for women's cricket?

RA: I think the women's selection panel should be improved. There is only one selector right now, and everything is going under his order. The number of domestic tournaments should be increased. I have played a lot of cricket for Bangladesh, but now I'm not getting the chance to play in domestic cricket, let alone the national team. So where can I show myself and prove myself for the national team?

DS: Did BCB offer you, Salma Khatun and Jahanara Alam retirement roles?

RA: I've not received such a proposal so far... We are still working hard, and we have done a lot for women's cricket in the country.Actually, I don't know who our guardian is now.

DS: Reports say ex-coach Hashan Tillakaratne didn't want senior players. Is it true?

RA: He discriminated a lot in the team, bringing senior–junior grouping into the team… He had a favourite group of five to six players, and he always made plans with them. He never questioned [Fargana Haque] Pinky for scoring with a low strike-rate. But at the same time, he asked someone to hit from the beginning.

DS: What's your future plan?

RA: What will I think? If they don't come with an explanation related to my performance or fitness -- which I'm ready to prove -- then what should I do?