Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina wading into Cricket World Cup controversy is just bad diplomacy

In an example of bad diplomacy, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has unnecessarily waded into the controversy over the recent quarter final clash between India and Bangladesh in the ongoing Cricket World Cup in which Bangladesh was knocked out of the tournament.

Bangladesh Cricket Board officials have already made hawkish remarks about Bangladesh’s loss and blamed India for unfair umpiring decisions. They even went to an extent of hinting at a “conspiracy” by India in winning the quarter final and dubbed the International Cricket Council (ICC), the game’s top international body, as “Indian Cricket Council”.

Such remarks, though bad in taste and best avoided, would not have meant much. But now the Bangladeshi Prime Minister has chosen to throw her hat in the ring as well and made certain remarks that do not go with her stature.

Hasina has said everyone saw how the Bangladeshi team was “made to lose”. At a function organized by Bangladeshi expatriates in Melbourne for the national team, Hasina played to the gallery in Dhaka on Saturday. While she was perfectly right in consoling her dejected team she went overboard while giving her cricket team a pep-up talk.

Sample the following relevant quotes of Hasina: “We would have won if the umpires did not give wrong decisions… Everyone has seen how we were made to lose.”

One doesn’t expect a seasoned politician like Sheikh Hasina, who holds the highest political office in her country, to be so crass and parochial.

Consider for argument sake that the umpiring decisions were flawed and Bangladesh lost to India only because of the umpiring mistakes – a thesis no cricket expert across the world would ever agree with – even then it did not warrant a person of the stature of a Prime mMinister to wade into the unseemly controversy.

This is the first time ever when the head of government of a cricket playing nation has issued such a statement. Before it sets off a worrying trend and gives a bad name to cricket, Hasina’s remarks need to be denounced.

First ,of all Bangladesh Cricket Board is not exactly covering itself with glory by making sweeping remarks which are not and can never be backed by solid evidence. The BCB has already acted like a cry baby, a whining child who just cannot reconcile himself to a loss in the sporting arena.

Hasina has lent credence to this theater of the absurd in the cricketing arena by saying what she said. This is not only contrary to the sporting spirit but also sets a bad precedent which one hopes leaders of other losing cricketing nations won’t emulate.

India has performed miserably at many cricket world cups earlier and lost many tight games primarily because of umpiring errors. But has there ever been even a single murmur from Indian prime ministers or top politicians in the past? Sheikh Hasina should know that by making such unnecessary remarks she is not only violating the spirit of the game but also harming interests of her own cricket team. Would India oblige Bangladesh by hosting them for a home series, something which has not happened for years despite BCB’s persistent requests? No prizes for guessing the right answer under the current circumstances.

Bangladesh has had test status for over two decades but has always performed below par, raising questions why its test status should not be revoked. There have been a few isolated examples when Bangladesh has surprised and pulverized its mighty opponents and made them bite dust in world cups and many top sides like India, Pakistan and Australia have been defeated by Bangladesh.

True, Bangladesh cricket team played like heroes in this world cup and endeared even their detractors in their campaign in this world cup where they were halted by India. But attributing off-field motives to the on-field results is crying over spilled milk.

Cricket, like all other sports, is a game that is intended to unify peoples, countries and continents. In South Asia particularly no other sport has such relevance and such unifying potential as cricket. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are major cricket teams with test status in the international arena and each of them of them has won the Cricket World Cup, India doing so twice already.

Bangladesh, another test team, and Afghanistan, an Associate team, are other major cricketing nations. Nepal too is consumed by cricket frenzy and it is a matter of time when this small Himalayan state too registers its presence in the international arena. Thus six of the eight SAARC states are cricket-crazy nations where cricket has already becomes a religion, not a mere sport.

Cricket has also emerged as an extension of diplomacy, much the same way as Bollywood long became an effective instrument of Indian diplomacy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently used cricket as a cohesive and endearing symbol within SAARC to launch his pro-active diplomacy in the region when he called up all cricket playing nations of the region ahead of the World Cup and wished their teams success. Modi had used cricket to launch his region-specific diplomacy which he named as ‘SAARC Yatra’.

Of all the persons, Hasina chose to get into the controversy. Hasina must know that as prime minister it is her duty to encourage her losing cricket team in a positive manner and not chase ghosts where none exist.

Hasina needs to clarify her remarks and stay away from politicizing results of cricket matches.