“Let me first go see my cardiologist, then I will speak”. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan had this to say after an up and down day for the Bangladesh team, which started like a nightmare but ended like a fairytale.
Bangladesh were reduced to 24-5 inside 40 minutes against Sri Lanka in the first session of the Dhaka Test. From there, Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim formed an unbeaten 253-run stand to take the hosts to a position of power at the end of the day.
The BCB president was not glued to the TV screen or watched the action live from the stands as he usually does on Monday. The ICC chairman Greg Barclay is in Bangladesh for an official trip and Nazmul has been accompanying him throughout the day.
After the press conference with the ICC president, the press asked Nazmul what his thoughts were about the first day’s play.
The BCB president said that he feared his heart couldn’t take what was happening on the field. So he wasn’t keeping track of the score. But when he eventually gathered enough courage to see the score, he was pleasantly surprised.
“I was at the honourable prime minister’s office. She asked me about the match. I answered, apa, I don’t have the courage to see the match. I’m not going to see the match till I get to the stadium. After arriving here, I stood in front of the lift when I saw where the match was at. I was surprised. Mushfiq and Liton deserve all the credit for the way they have played.”
Nazmul also thanked the ICC chairman for his visit. He arrived in Dhaka on Sunday, saw the under construction Sheikh Hasina International Cricket Stadium, met prime minister Sheikh Hasina and also visited the Sylhet Internartional Stadium. He is expected to leave Bangladesh on Tuesday. He will next visit Kolkata where he will see two play-off games of the IPL. The BCB president is likely accompany him in his Kolkata visit.
“I want to thank the ICC chairman on behalf of Bangladesh cricket and Bangladesh for coming to our country. Although it was a brief tour, we managed to discuss many things, we told him what we are doing right now and what we intend to do in the future. This was his first trip to Bangladesh. Now, he has a good understanding of Bangladesh cricket. I think this will help us a lot.”