Anxiety and panic: Bangladesh women’s cricket team in turmoil
Zaigum Azam, Dhaka
Published: 06 Dec 2025, 10:52 PM
PHOTO: TANVIN TAMIM
“Oh Maa Go!” (oh my God)- a national women cricketer screamed after coming out of the gymnasium on Saturday when she saw a large number of journalists standing in front of the gate of the BCB academy premises.
The cricketer along with her teammates were expected to come
out of the gate, where the media personnel were waiting for having a chat with
member of national team management as they began a short camp with Tigers T20I
batters at the BCB academy premises.
The women cricketers opted not to come out of the academy
gate and instead went to the academy ground and preferred to leave the field
from the gate that they hardly make use of as it is usually utilized to bring
rollers and other accessories required for maintenance of academy ground.
One of the players had to come out of the main gate of the
academy premises as her scooter was placed in front of the gate while one or
two cricketers opted to take another route rather coming straight through the
door of the BCB Academy premises.
A women’s team cricketer waited for a long time before
coming out of the academy premises and on request of anonymity told Daily Sun
that are scared see so many journalists. “Don’t write my name but it is scary
to walk with so many journalists around,” she said pointing her finger to the
present state of affair prevailing in country’s women’s cricket.
Bangladesh women’s cricket is going through their lowest
phase and now it remains to be seen whether it can really return where it
belonged considering chances are looking slim, if not anything else.
Women’s cricketers in Bangladesh never had the chance to
express them and create their own identity as they never seemed to be in
board’s priority list and their lack of long-term goal only validate the fact-
no international games for five months ahead of the World Cup as they completed
their preparation for the tournament by playing with the Under-15 boys’ team.
Tigresses earned only one win in the World Cup and one game
was abandoned while lost all the other six games in their league phase and the
result certainly speaks volume about their preparation. Still the cricketers
and the management group believed that they came close in couple of games
and felt that they can be at the other side of the table in the coming
days on the back of long-term planning and execution, though it never looked to
be a reality taking their history into account but there was some kind of hope
though it was hit hard as the whole women’s cricket turned upside down
following the sexual assault accusation made by former national skipper
Jahanara Alam against national team management members.
Jahanara, furthermore, pointed fingers at current national
skipper Nigar Sultana, labelling as some kind of dictator that she refused to
accept publicly.
BCB was forced to form an investigation committee to probe
the matter and submit their findings within 15 days though they afterwards
announced more time will be required as Jahanara is yet to provide evidence or
official complaint. No matter whatever is the outcome of the result one thing
looks to be certain women’s cricket will never be the same as people will be
thinking twice before sending their girls to learn the trade after all that
came in public that made them look vulnerable.
BCB called back age-level selector Sajal Chowdhury from
Cox’s Bazaar where he was accompanying Under-19 team against touring Pakistan
counterpart on the back of a letter where a cricketer complained against him
while another cricketer claims that the age-level selector looked at her body
parts in inappropriate manner.
Several members of the women’s wing are currently not
working in that department after being alleged of wrong doing by women
cricketers who made statement against them publicly.
A BCB director was also alleged too of wrong doing but later
his name was cleared after it was found out that the letter on which basis he
was accused turned out to be false.
However, there is no visible activity of the investigation
committee who are dealing with the women’s issue and it is only making things
complicated going forward.
Daily Sun learnt that certain male members of national team
management group are quite scared to get associated with women cricket as they
are not sure what is in store for them if any cricketer complains against them
in public considering they are convicted even before they are proven guilty.
“I think it will be very difficult for women cricket to
flourish again taking everything into account because these things will
certainly have an impact on their performance as it will surely disturb them
mentally,” said a BCB official, working closely with women’s cricket told Daily
Sun.
“So the investigations need to be completed as soon as
possible so that everyone is aware who the real culprit is while who are not
can continue to do their work without having the fear of going through social
trauma,” he said.
The behavior of the women cricketers certainly suggest they
went through some kind of trauma, if not anything else.