DHAKA: Mohammad Nabi, the leading all-rounder of Afghanistan, showed his anger openly during a press conference when he was queried concerning the Indian Premier League (IPL) ban of the Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman.
The query came up after a clash in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), when Nabi was approached to comment on the Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) decision to leave Mustafizur out of the Kolkata Knight Riders (the team he had been a part of). BCCI’s taking action against the Bangladeshi bowler followed the pressure from Indian extremists.
Instead of a polite answer, Nabi answered in a cutting manner, “What does this have to do with me? What is my role in politics?” Without dwelling on it, he changed the topic, gently saying, “Mustafizur is a good bowler, ” and went on.
The whole thing was pretty much about the recent uproar when the BCCI, pressured by the Indian nationalist groups, dropped Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL squad of Shah Rukh Khan’s team, Kolkata Knight Riders. The decision sparked a tremendous uproar, as not only did the question of political interference in sports come up.
Definitely, pressure was there, yet Mohammad Nabi outrightly indicated that he would not engage in the political debate since he needed to concentrate on his cricket career and the current BPL.
The case is a perfect demonstration of the intertwining relations of sports and politics that make it hard for athletes to handle such situations, as they are the ones with no power over them.
Historic father-son partnership as Hassan Eisakhil’s 92 powers Noakhali to 184-7
The incredibly talented 19-year-old Hassan Eisakhil, son of the well-known Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, played a superb innings of 92 off 50 balls on his first match in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to take the Noakhali Express team to a good score of 184-7 against Dhaka Capitals in the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
The game also turned out to be a milestone event in the world of franchise cricket as it officially recorded the first case of father-son duo, Mohammad Nabi and Hassan Eisakhil, playing in the same team.
Eisakhil was in great form at the top of the order, hitting seven fours and five sixes. Although his innings could be termed as a spectacular one, it still fell short of a century, which was indeed well-deserved. The combination of Eisakhil and the other opening batsman Soumya Sarkar not only brought Noakhali a solid start by scoring 101 runs in just 9.2 overs but also made the captain’s decision to bat first look justified.
Unfortunately, Sarkar’s batting came to an end when he was caught and bowled by 48 off 25 balls, with 7 fours and a 6, which resulted in a small collapse and Noakhali lost two more wickets in the next three overs.
Eisakhil and his dad, Mohammad Nabi, then calmed the situation, adding 53 runs for the fourth wicket. Nabi, being overshadowed by his son’s flourishing, made 17 runs off 13 balls. The partnership ended when both father and son were out within three balls of each other, which, in effect, was the end of Noakhali’s 200-run dreams.
On the other hand, Mohammad Saifuddin, Taijul Islam, and Abdullah Al Mamun from Dhaka Capitals each took two wickets, thus restricting Noakhali’s total.
