Cricketers in the Indian subcontinent are larger-than-life figures. There are innocent young boys and girls who invest themselves worshipping players from countries such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The cricketers in this part of the world carry more value and importance in everyday life than those in any other walks of life from any other nook and corner in the globe. For many, nothing else matters more than the success and failures of their favourite stars and cricket teams.
Many of the cricketers reciprocate this love and admiration too ― they do not say no to selfies, autographs and a moment of chitchat. They post regularly on social media, they try to inspire the young generation with their devotion to fitness and a healthy, clean lifestyle. By showcasing their love for their own families on social media ― yes, you have wondered why Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma post their pictures even though we know how cute they look together ― they encourage the young and naive to love their respective families too.
But as everything co-exists in this world, like good and bad, like old and new, like light and darkness ― there is an unwanted part of the cricket world too. There is no dearth of corrupt people within the sport and outside it. Time has served us regular reminders to be watchful, to be careful, to be not too greedy, to be serious and sincere enough at all levels in the long-lasting war against malpractices such as spot-fixing and underperformance.
Bangladesh is more than just a passionate country when it comes to cricket. Fans cry their hearts out at the Shere Bangla Stadium whenever their team fails. Fans here come dressed up like a tiger ― that is what their team is fondly called, Bangla tiger.
This small country doesn’t have many decades of history to show in cricket. It is still relatively young and new and is trying its best to find its feet in the world of cricket. What is important is that every step taken here is a foolproof one. But the purpose fails miserably when one of its most remarkable cricketers, Shakib Al Hasan, fails to report an approach made by a corrupt person to malign the game of cricket. Shakib is a world-class player, a man who has represented Bangladesh for many years and there is a lot left too. But his failure to tell authorities that he was being offered money to bring disrepute to the game which gave him everything was not just a reflection of the man, but also the world we live in.
Did Shakib offer any apology?
Nevertheless, it was welcoming to see when Umar Akmal put his hand up and apologised for making the same mistake. Akmal has been the butt of jokes for the cricket fraternity for many years now. But he should be respected for the effort and intent that he has shown to improve ― he is ready to change.
Shakib is a once-in-a-generation player produced by Bangladesh. He can bat, he can bowl, field, captain a team, be a global T20 star.. but he has yet to show he can be a better cricket personality than he is, particularly after videos of him kicking the stumps and arguing with umpires surface.