More than the Bangladesh
cricket team, more than its players; the passionate cricket fans of this
country have always earned enough adulation over the years. The Bangladeshi
fans are colourful, the fans are attractive. They love to enjoy cricket. They
are highly passionate about the game.
No matter which team plays in Mirpur, Chittagong ,
Khulna or Fatullah; the passionate
Bangladeshi cricket fans don’t step back to exhibit their full support for the
participating teams. Such a sporty attitude has made the Bangladeshi cricket
fans extremely popular all over the world.
In the recently concluded Asia Cup in Dhaka ;
India , Pakistan ,
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan
had enjoyed enormous amount of support from the Bangladeshis at the stadium. Flags
of India , Pakistan ,
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan
flew in the gallery and one could not realize whether the match was going on at
Kolkata, Lahore or Colombo .
This indicates how passionate and hospitable the Bangladeshis are. The
participating teams were made to feel at home in Dhaka . The
atmosphere had always been electrifying.
In the ongoing World Twenty20 in Bangladesh
the expression of passion has been the same. So far it has been a cricket
carnival with a friendly atmosphere.
But sadly, from nowhere, some dull thoughts rose to the
occasion to spoil the true spirit of the game.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have threatened to ban
local fans if they are seen carrying flags of any other teams competing in the
tournament. BCB’s spokesman Jalal Younis said the Board had issued a directive
after it “noticed that some local fans were flying foreign flags flouting the
country’s flag rules. We’ve received instruction in this regard. As such, we’ve
ordered security officials and guards to make sure Bangladesh
fans cannot carry or fly flags of foreign nations in the stadiums.”
The BCB order came on the eve of Bangladesh ’s
43rd Independence Day celebrations.
Personally, I am pretty shocked by this decision and I also
didn’t understand this ‘flag rule’. Why this ‘flag rule’ has cropped up
suddenly? Is this ‘flag rule’ strictly applicable for the passionate sports
fans in countries like England ,
Australia or South
Africa ?
I don’t think so. As because, during Bangladesh ’s
tour of England
in 2005, I noticed many English cricket fans to carry Bangladesh ’s
flag. Many non-Bangladeshi fans were seen cheering for Shakib with the
Bangladeshi flag during the World Twenty20 in 2009 and there are many such
instances.
As a cricket fan, is it a crime to carry the flags of other
national teams? Or putting a ban on carrying other teams’ flags and kill a
cricket fan’s passion is a crime?
Supporting a team or cheering for that team is someone’s
personal matter. A fan has full right to show his/her support for a team and Bangladesh
being a democratic country, such a rule seems pretty autocratic which is
absolutely unacceptable.
No Bangladeshi cricket fan supports other teams while they
are playing against Bangladesh ,
but they do show cheer for India ,
Pakistan , Sri
Lanka , South
Africa or Australia
while they are not playing against Bangladesh .
So, what’s wrong with this? That’s how the true spirit of cricket should be and
Bangladesh
cricket fans are the perfect role models of ‘genuine cricket lovers’.
Moreover, in an ICC event how can the BCB come up with such
rules? This is an ICC event and surely, it has to be the ICC to look after such
issues.
According to some critics, this rule has cropped up after
watching many Bangladeshis to cheer for the Pakistan
cricket team during the Asia Cup. I am not sure how legitimate this thought is
as not only one country’s flag has been under the ban, but if this is true,
then I must say that the BCB have committed something immature which has
already earned criticism throughout the world. If the BCB judges Pakistan ’s
army’s atrocity of 1971 with Shahid Afridi’s sixes in the same manner, then it’s
fair to say that the BCB still has not grown up. I don’t think that the BCB’s
heart is enlightened by the true spirit of cricket.
Cricket is just a game. It should be enjoyed wholeheartedly.
It should be witnessed by not wearing any political sunglasses. Neither Virat
Kohli represents the Indian BSF nor does Shahid Afridi represent the brutal
Pakistani army of 1971. They are cricketers who don’t spread hate but love and
passion throughout the world. They are the ambassador of a game which the
millions follow; they are the role models for millions. It’s a crime to murder
a cricket fan’s passion. It’s not worthy to mix cricket with politics.
Note: This article has been published on Sportskeeda on 27/03/2014 http://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/bangladesh-cricket-boards-decision-ban-flags-shocking/
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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