Saleque Sufi After prolong silence, BCB President has detonated yet another grenade that Captain of Bangladesh in Test and T20I cricket, Shakib al Hasan and leading pacer Mustafizur Rahman are reluctant to play Test cricket. He also mentioned that Rubel is also among them. We all know he is like what people used to talk about President HM Ershad when he was Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) as Cancel My Last Announcement. Reacting to his statement, Akram Khan, Director (Cricket Operation) BCB expressed surprise stating that he is unaware of any such situation. Such statement appeared to have shocked even Shakib. It was also not the right time as Bangladesh, after disastrous Test series is set to start ODI series where all three players are keys to Bangladesh success. Taking the statement of BCB President correct, may we ask him when he realized this? If he realized this earlier why he had to replace the most successful Test captain Mushfiqur, the nucleus of Bangladesh batting after South Africa tour when Shakib skipped playing Tests? Shakib is a top quality matured all rounder, one of the best in the world. He is at the peak of his career. He is playing franchise cricket all over the world. Bangladesh play only few Tests from time to time. As such, work load on Shakib must not be that much that he would get over stressed from playing Tests for Bangladesh. There is no reason that at the prime of his career he would be reluctant in playing the most prestigious format of the game. Perhaps BCB President forgets his role off and on. It is not his cup of tea to decide who to play and who not in different formats. There is Director (Cricket Operation), there are selectors, team management. With a very shallow cricket knowledge he always talks loose creating confusions. BCB failed to grow a shadow of Shakib so far. So Bangladesh, without Shakib, in any format is bound to suffer more... We are not sure about Shakib’s own intention. He can retire from Test cricket if he wants. But from Akram’s statement, we find Shakib has no intention to retire from Test cricket soon. He has another 4-5 years of active cricket left in him. The case is very different for Mustafiz. He is a budding genius. He is a freak bowler who has just started blooming. He should not have been blooded too early in all formats. He should have been given three to four years settling into shorter formats and gaining skills and temperament for Test cricket. He was too early allowed playing in T20 franchise based cricket leagues before he himself knowing about himself. I am not sure he is ready for Test cricket yet. The most important point BCB President raised is that he was talking about three teams for three formats. If it was his realization who in his kingdom stopped him doing that? Why only in Bangladesh 7-8 players appear in all formats? If three to four top players perform Bangladesh remain competitive, if not disaster fall upon them. He talked about Mominul. Rather he has quality to represent in all formats. By squeezing him in Tests only his talent has been under utilized. He is also losing focus. BCB President must explain why a pipeline of quality cricketers could not be prepared for creating backbone of three teams in three formats? He must explain also where should players out side national team perform to prove their quality? Years after years, Shahriar Nafees, Tushar Imran, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak are performing in domestic cricket. They have class, quality and temperament. But they are not picked for playing Tests. The national players do not play longer version cricket at home. They are thrown into Test cricket without any preparation at home or abroad. They lose their way trying to play Test cricket in T20I or ODI mode. Cricket analysts all along are talking about improving quality of domestic cricket, playing on better surfaces, under neutral supervision. They are always talking about quality age group cricket, keeping development squad ready for filling into the shoes of senior cricketers. But no one pay heed. The fabulous Five – Mashrafe, Shakib, Mushfiqur, Tamim and Mahmudullah are playing together for 8-10 years. None have grown beside them to challenge their position. Hence they can stay care less. Even if they fail matches after matches there is no way replacing them. In recent times Soumya, Sabbir, Mominul, Mosaddek, Nazmul emerged. But they are not properly nursed. At this level no one can teach them cricket. They need mentoring for developing mental toughness, changing attitudes. These cannot be done by coaches from England, Australia or South Africa. Bangladesh are playing cricket long enough to rely on local coaches. It is not that we do not know the background of persons leading in BCB. Excepting one or two none has the depth of knowledge or honest intention for planning and operation of Cricket in the most professional way. It is possible achieving some successes at top level in T20I and ODI but for creating sustainability in Test cricket there has to be appropriate system of sourcing quality cricketers and developing them in proper manner. The only area is domestic cricket which is very poor compared with major cricket playing countries. Test cricket requires patience, fitness, commitment, tenacity and attitude. We are not sure how many in present Bangladesh team have that. Just imagine if Tamim, Mushfiqur and Shakib all get injured when Bangladesh plays the next Test series what will happen to Bangladesh. They can not beat Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. Before such situation arrives, BCB must pull up their socks and create environment for talent hunting and development in restructured domestic cricket. There must be enough quality players in the pipeline for creating pressure on active players in different formats. Hope BCB senior officials become more responsible in talking to the media. It is after all players who have taken cricket to this level.