Nazmul Abedin Loses His Cool Over Questions About Mashrafe and Shakib’s Absence
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan were notably absent from the BCB’s meeting with former captains, and when questions were raised about their absence, board director Nazmul Abedin became visibly angry.
Before the full question could even be asked, Nazmul interrupted, “Do you really have to… is this question really necessary?” His frustration was evident. The query was about why Mashrafe was not present in the meeting with other former captains, but Nazmul, instead of answering, got upset. He showed even more irritation when Shakib’s absence was brought up.
On Monday, BCB president Faruk Ahmed met with former captains at the BCB office in Mirpur to gather their opinions on various aspects of the country’s cricket. Among those physically present were former captains like Gazi Ashraf Hossain, Minhajul Abedin, Shahriar Nafis, and Liton Kumar Das, with Khaled Masud joining via video conference.
However, two of the country’s most successful captains, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan, were absent from both the physical and virtual meeting.
This absence is not surprising, given the political changes in the country since August 5. Both Shakib and Mashrafe have been involved in various controversies and tensions surrounding their positions. Shakib was unable to return home for his final Test match, and Mashrafe has remained largely out of the public eye, despite being in the country. Both were once members of the now-defunct ruling Awami League party.
So, the absence of Mashrafe and Shakib from the meeting isn’t all that shocking. The question of whether they were invited or whether they joined online isn’t an unreasonable one either.
After the meeting, when Nazmul Abedin faced the media, he was asked, “Did you invite Bangladesh’s most successful captain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, to the meeting, or was he part of the online session?”
Before the question could finish, Nazmul interjected, “Do you have to… is this question really necessary?” He didn’t wait for the full response and moved on, saying, “Next question.”
Later, when asked whether any of the absent captains joined online, he briefly answered, “Yes,” confirming that Khaled Masud had joined. However, when asked if Shakib had joined online, Nazmul answered simply, “No.”
After a brief silence, Nazmul pointed his finger at the journalist and, with visible irritation, asked, “Any more questions… about Shakib?” His frustration was clear as he finished the interaction.
Before Nazmul spoke, BCB’s Cricket Operations in-charge Shahriar Nafis addressed the media, stating that all former captains had accepted the invitation. “Everyone accepted the invitation. Some were abroad due to playing commitments or work. However, everyone accepted the invitation, and those who couldn’t attend informed us. Many attended, though some didn’t. But everyone acknowledged the invitation.”
