What Abu Jayed actually wants to say

Abu Jayed has gone mute soon after opening his mouth. He made a statement, which made big waves. But before anyone could dive deeper into his statement, Jayed made a “U-turn”. Apparently, he didn’t mean to say it like that or he was manipulated to make this statement.

Seeing Jayed changing his “stance” is not unusual. He is not an influential cricketer like Shakib, Tamim, Mushfiq, Mahmudullah, he can’t bear the weight of such a big statement. Despite being part of the national team, pacer Jayed keeps a “low-profile”. Recently, opportunities to play for the team have also dried up for him. Though he was part of the team in South Africa, he was there more as a tourist. It seemed like he went there for a vacation, not to play.

But that’s not Jayed’s fault. What could he do if he doesn’t make the cut according to the team combination! Now he has been dropped from the squad for the first Test of the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka. There were plans to keep him in the team for the two-day practice match, but after this statement he will not be playing in that game either.

Jayed’s intense reaction to not getting a chance to play and getting axed from the team has dragged him into the limelight. He said, there is no one in the team to bat for him, he has no lobbying, and there is someone in the national team who doesn’t want him in the side. Jayed also made it clear that that person is not the coach or the captain.

If in place of Jayed, a senior cricketer of the national team had made this statement, it would’ve sent shockwaves in Bangladesh cricket. As it’s Jayed, it hardly made an impact. Moreover, after getting pressurised from different fronts, he had to reverse his stance in just one day. But still, it’s being said that after Eid Jayed will have to show cause to the BCB for making such a statement to the media.

If that show cause is conducted in a friendly setting, Bangladesh cricket will benefit. Rather than putting Jayed on trial for making a bold statement before quickly reversing it, he needs to be given assurance and asked, “What did you actually want to say? Explain.”

The cricketers hardly have any scope to freely speak their minds as they are all bound by BCB’s strict code of conduct. The junior cricketers have to walk on eggshells. Before saying something, they have to think a thousand times, will this senior take offence if I say this, what would that senior think if I say that! How will the media and the social media react! Like their senior teammates, they don’t have a massive following who will stage a movement, form human chain or create a social media storm for them.

For this reason, the number of silent members in the national team is increasing. Mid-level senior and junior players prefer to keep their thoughts on sensitive topics to themselves. Even when they say something, it’s very innocuous. It almost sounds like a “dubbing”. They are moving their mouths, but someone else is speaking.

Jayed stood out from the rest and lit a spark. His statement gives a glimpse of the distrust, discomfort felt by comparatively junior players of the national team. Doubts arise, whether the team is actually like a happy family like it seems from afar. If what Jayed is saying is true, we already have the answer. Then we would have to find out who is this person who holds more importance in the Test team than the coach and skipper. And if Jayed has created this tumultuous situation out of frustration of being dropped, then he needs to give an explanation for his actions. He will have to explain the reason behind his distrust.

There is no need for the BCB to bring this matter out to the public and give minute by minute update on what’s happening. This needs to stay inside the walls of BCB. The people should only know about the outcome and what Jayed was actually meaning to say.

While waiting for that result, let’s take a peek inside the Bangladesh team’s dressing room to see how the environment there is. By learning about an incident during the recently concluded South Africa tour, you will get a glimpse of the current environment inside the team.

One day, a senior player of the team asked all of his teammates one by one, how much they would give Russell Domingo as a coach out of 10. In reply, some said eight, some seven and some nine. A mid-level member of the team in terms of experience then asked that senior player, “Why aren’t you marking the coach? You are asking everyone to give a number, say yours too. How much will you give Domingo out of 10?”

That senior cricketer fell silent after coming across such an unexpected situation. That uncomfortable session in the dressing room ended without that senior player revealing how much he would give Domingo. Many members of the team management applauded that incident mentally. The younger members are learning to retort, that’s definitely a good sign!

That incident proves that the Bangladesh dressing room is not exactly a “happy family”. Even if it’s in a small scale, dissent is building up. Although Jayed tried to stay quiet after raising his voice a bit, the wave of change has hit Bangladesh cricket. Now the question is, how will the BCB respond?

1. They could consider it as a misunderstanding.

2. They could prove it as a conspiracy or an attempt to tarnish Bangladesh cricket’s image and caution, reprimand or punish Jayed.

3. They could consider Jayed’s statement as proof of the dissent growing inside the dressing room and try to dig deeper, while, of course, safeguarding Jayed.

Up until the South Africa tour, there were two problems in the Bangladesh dressing room. Firstly, the icy relationship between Tamim and Domingo, which from the outside looks like has warmed up quite a bit in South Africa. Secondly, the uncomfortable relation between Shakib and Tamim which had apparently stooped so low that they had stopped talking to each other. After the Afghanistan series, ODI captain Tamim sat with Shakib to ease this tension, which was on display when the two embraced on the field in Centurion after Bangladesh had sealed the ODI series against South Africa.

But suddenly, Jayed’s statement is sending out a new message! The BCB needs to figure out what exactly Jayed wanted to say. Was he just letting out frustration for not getting a chance to play or there is actually a “different story”.

*This appeared in the print and online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ashfaq-Ul-Alam Niloy.