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Will the cricket world care to play with Afghanistan or Bangladesh?

Bangladesh have played only T20Is this year. Afghanistan are yet to obtain their Test status despite very good display of cricket.

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Bangladesh have announced series with Afghanistan recently © Getty Images
Bangladesh have announced series with Afghanistan recently © Getty Images

How does it feel when a child is outcast by other children? Many must have encountered such hard times despite the urge of playing with the others around. Now, let us compare the cricketing arena as a playground and the teams as the little kids playing in it. Does the scenario not look familiar to what is going on with Bangladesh and Afghanistan? If yes, is it right? READ: Afghanistan set to play first bilateral series in Bangladesh

Starting from International Cricket Council (ICC) to the major cricket-playing nations, cricketers and officials were often heard talking about ethics and spirit of the game. Many admitted, playing with different countries across formats will enrich cricket as a whole. On the contrary, the teams, in effect, have restricted themselves from playing against Associate Nations time and again.

Let us look at Bangladesh this year. They played their last Test match in July 2015. After a lot of dilemma, England have agreed to visit Bangladesh. The team will play their next Test after a span of a year and more. Bangladesh is the youngest to achieve the Test status among all the others, and it is important for them to stay in practice, which clearly is not happening.

Looking at limited-overs formats, Bangladesh have played only Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) this year and no One-Day Internationals (ODIs). Of the 16 that they played, 12 came in two major tournaments, and they emerged triumphant five times.

Apart from the team’s form, this speaks about the amount of cricket they played. The rest of the four T20Is were against Zimbabwe, their regular visitors. Bangladesh cricketers put up top-class performances in the Asia Cup 2016 and ICC World T20 2016. While most of the other teams went into the these two tournaments after a lot of practice, Asia Cup was Bangladesh’s only chance to hone and test their skills. Also read:  At the end, cricket is the loser

Bangladesh’s first opportunity to play international cricket after ICC WT20 was also under question. The tragic Bangladesh terror attack not only made their political conditions unstable but affected their cricket as well. England players were made free to opt out of the series; and when England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the series, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan’s statement heaved a sigh of relief.

“I always had a hunch that England would come and there are a few reasons for that. England always sent their team. Even in India, they continued playing (after the 2008 attack in Mumbai). So England are not a team that bow their head down to terrorist activities,” said the man in power.

“We will arrange security for them no matter where they are, be it in the stadium or next to the hotel, wherever. This is the kind of mental readiness we have. We believe that there won’t be any problem with regards to this England tour,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Bangladesh High Performance Coach and former cricketer Mal Loye has revealed that the reason behind Australia cancelling series was ISIS threat. “The week I left, the Australian team didn’t turn up because the terrorists had planned to take us out when we had an event sorted with the touring team. My boss’s wife was arranging the event with the Australians. The Australian Government saw the plans from the underworld guys about what was going to happen. The plans didn’t work out for the terrorists because the Australian team didn’t arrive there. The Italians got shot that week. The terrorists obviously thought they’d take a few people out while they were there. That was enough for me. I knew after the shootings that my freedom as a westerner had gone,” said Loye.

With more news of political instability in Bangladesh, the chances of them getting more series surely reduces, and only time will tell what is in store for them.

For Afghanistan, the scenario is even worse. Afghanistan’s first noticeable appearance in world cricket was in 2003, as they played in various tournaments in Pakistan. Within a relatively short span, they won their first, what can be called, milestone victory in their cricket history—the ICC Intercontinental Cup for the 2009-2010 season — defeating seniors Scotland.

They continued playing good cricket, as they reached the final of the next season. According to ICC’s announcements, the winners of the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2015-17 will be given an opportunity of playing two home and two away Test matches. However, the reward seems a bit late as well as smaller compared to the efforts of the nation put in.

Afghanistan did exceptionally well in limited-overs cricket as well. They played nine ODIs and 12 T20Is this year with a win-loss ratio of impressive 1.5. The teams that they defeated include Test-playing nation like Zimbabwe. Without any special tournament before the ICC World T20 2016, they went into the first round, won all their matches and qualified for the Super 10 round. Afghanistan were the only team to defeat the current title-holders West Indies in the tournament, while lost a close fight to South Africa to add more feathers to their hat.

To say, Afghanistan and Bangladesh are the representatives of the Associate Nations, who have been awarded the ODI status, something that the teams have earned with their previous performances. Having played with the same opponents, it is impossible for the teams to improve the quality of cricket. The growth becomes stagnant, and the status loses its importance.

Playing more with the Associate Nations not only is beneficial for the two teams, but will help the full members face new challenges that these teams bring in (unlike their regular opponents, who they know well). Cricket will have new elements; the world-class players in the Associate Nations will receive the appreciation they deserve. Are so many positive aspects not enough to play more cricket with Associate Nations?

(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)

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