The Indian cricket board is once again flexing its muscles and flaunting its riches, this time at lowly Bangladesh.
India's offer to help Bangladesh overcome the exodus of its 13 players to the Indian Cricket League (ICL) certainly cannot be deemed as an act of conscience.
The truth is that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is responsible for creating the mess in the first place. An ego battle between certain members of the BCCI and Kapil Dev of the ICL is proving detrimental to the game and its players.
There is no reason for the BCCI to fear for its superior Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament was a major hit in its inaugural edition early this year while the ICL had been a failure.
So why should the BCCI rob cricketers of their livelihood? Its diktat that ICL players be banned from the top level just underlines how powerful the Indian board has become.
The Sri Lankan board has done the right thing by allowing its five ICL players back into the fold. The Lankans must be commended for this bold step and other boards must follow suit.
The game cannot lose some of its talented young players because of the Indian board's adamant stance.
Bangladesh cricket was already in tatters before the shocking defection. Now the situation will become almost unimaginable.
If players like Habibul Bashar, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed and Alok Kapali take such major decisions, there must be something wrong with the way Bangladesh cricket is being run.
Though Bashar is in the twilight of his career, he still is Bangaldesh's best batsman. Critics may argue that Mohammed Ashraful is the best. But the Bangladesh captain rarely makes big scores unlike Bashar who has consistently done well against all opposition.
Nafees has every reason to shun Bangladesh as he has been treated badly by the selectors. Just a few years ago, he was touted as a future leader. Then he found himself out of favour with the selectors for some inexplicable reason and now struggles to make the team.
Kapali was picked by Sir Vivian Richards as a future star when he saw him in action a few years ago. But the Bangladesh selectors never gave him a proper run at the top level. It is sad that Kapali has opted out when his performances for Bangladesh had begun to count.
India's plan to take some Bangladeshi players for the IPL is mere posturing. With some of the best now with the ICL, how will the Indian board fit in some inadequate Bangladesh players in the star-studded tournament?
If they plan to keep them merely on the bench, then it will be a waste of money. But the Indian board wouldn't care about that. After all, the BCCI is the richest board in the world.
