Fragile Bangladesh need to be careful now

The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) 10-year ban on players who signed up with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is likely to have little bearing on how things move from here, unless the national cricket body is able to work out a compromise formula with the 13 players, seven of whom have national contracts.

The players would obviously have seen this coming after the way ICL players the world over were treated by their respective countries. It was a politically right step from the BCB that was followed by a politically right statement by former skipper Habibul Bashar, who termed it as ‘harsh’.

Bangladesh’s entry to the Test fold has been unexciting to say the least and eight years in the international arena have been most unimpressive. The Test status might have been bestowed upon them due to the largesse of Jagmohan Dalmiya during his heyday, partly in the zest to bring more power to the sub-continent by way of an extra vote in the International Cricket Council, but the minnows have just remained minnows.

A solitary win against struggling Zimbabwe and a few draws are hardly bright spots in a run that has seen them lose most matches inside three days. Yes, Bangladesh have scored the occasional ODI wins over Test playing countries, but they have been few and far between and proved no harbinger for better times.