Fletcher meet BCB CEO as all was not well in Thunder camp
Photo - BCB , Roton Gomes
|| CF Correspondent ||
Sylhet Thunders disastrous run in the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League raised quite a few eyebrows whether everything was fine with them or not.
Thunder’s on-field performance finishing a record low in the tournament with just one win in the season is being considered a reflection of an unhappy dressing room.
Thunder on Tuesday ended a disastrous campaign in the BBPL with only one win from 12 games and this is the first time that any team has managed only one win in a season of the BPL.
It was learned that their dressing room plagued disputes among the team management and suspicions of unethical acts.
Occasions were minimal when on-field performance by the team had come as a point discussion for Thunders rather they were more highlighted due to chaos, suspicion over unethical doings and differences between the core group of players and the management starts right from the first day of the season.
Whether it is the no-ball of Santokie or their skipper Andre Fletcher last-minute meeting with BCB high-ups after completing their campaign to disclose his observation, nothing seems to have gone right for them.
It is understood that Fletcher, who took over as the captain of Sylhet following Mosaddek Hossain’s injury, first contacted a few friends in Bangladesh cricket fraternity and was looking for an opportunity to speak to BCB president Nazmul Hasan.
The West Indian looked totally devastated with the way things were going around in the dressing room that he had spoken with some of his friends citing he was running out of breath at times.
His suspicion was not only limited to one or two persons but as a matter of fact, it was pointed out on several persons involved with the squad.
There were certain things that looked suspicious if not anything else likes, for example, a cricketer stopping to fix his bootlace despite it was very much in the right order during their last game at their home town.
There was another occasion when Sylhet dropped inform Johnson Charles and instead picked up others that raised suspicious eyes.
A cricketer of Thunders during one of their games at their home town coming down to bat asked for physio help without facing any ball while soon after asked to change the bat.
‘’This kind of thing is known as signals [for bookies] in modern-day cricket and definitely it will raise suspicion,’’ said an official well known with the anti-corruption mode of operation.
BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury admitted meeting Fletcher and as expected answered diplomatically after revealing that there was some misunderstanding between Fletcher and another person of the team.
There was a misunderstanding between Fletcher and another person,’’ said Nizamuddin.
‘’He complained about one person. We spoke with both the person and sorted out everything. This went in a different direction. When two people stay around certainly there can be misunderstanding and it was one of those matters,’’ he said.
‘’You all know very well players don’t report to the CEO regarding any anti-corruption issue. It got to come through the ACU.
‘’We are keeping an eye on everything and we won’t like to go anything unattended,’’ he said.
The scenario to the end of the season for Sylhet echoes of how it had started. BCB appointed team director for Sylhet Thunder Tanjil Chowdhury had taken his social media account to raise doubt over the happenings in the team and intention of the sponsor.
Tanjil, who is also a BCB director, had also mentioned his argument with the sponsor party, Jivani Footwear, over the selection of some players during the players’ draft held in November this year.
Reaction from Sylhet team director Tanjil was triggered with the side’s West Indies seamer Krishmar Santokie’s awkward-looking deliveries on the opening day of the season. The left-arm pacer on the opening of the season, against Chattogram Challengers, had bowled a gigantic wide followed by huge no-ball against to raise eye-brows around the globe.
Tanjil had to later tone down his allegations through another social media post by then BCB Anti-Corruption Unit had already come into the scene and interrogated Santokie over the two suspicious deliveries.
BCB ACU had concluded the investigation citing it had found no ill motive in the case.
Despite the clearance doubts over happening within the Sylhet team throughout the tournament let it be with playing eleven selections or bowling changes which at times surprised the TV commentators.
