BCB hope against hope even as India series chances fade

"Hope against hope" is an idiom that means to wish very strongly for something to happen even when there is little or no logical reason, chance, or evidence to expect a good outcome.

Bangladesh Cricket Board's present state is quite relatable to the often used phrase regarding hosting India for a scheduled white-ball series in upcoming September, considering the country's current political developments.

Though BCB officials are still keeping their fingers crossed that everything would be fine in the coming days, it hardly seems to be going in that direction since ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and some members of her party were allowed to host a virtual press conference in Delhi on August 5.

Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said on August 8 that India cannot seek a friendly relationship with Bangladesh while allowing the ousted Prime Minister to make statements from Delhi that undermine Bangladesh's democracy and create instability.

His remarks came amid Bangladesh-India tensions over Hasina’s recent press conference from India, which, according to BCB insiders, is the final nail in the coffin as far as hosting India is concerned.

It could be a huge blow to the BCB higher-ups as they were quite confident of breaking the ice between the two cricketing nations in light of a strained relationship following Bangladesh's decision to skip the ICC T20 World Cup earlier this year citing security reasons.

Security reasons were tabled as an excuse for skipping the global tournament but officials closely working with the development at that time confirmed to Cricbuzz that in reality, it was on the back of direct orders from the Yunus-led government to abandon the World Cup, which they believe was taken more on the basis of political rivalry than anything else.

After the Bangladesh Nationalist Party took over from the Yunus-led interim government following their victory in the general election in February, there was renewed hope that the relationship between the two cricketing nations would change.

It seemed to be headed in that direction with current BCB president Tamim Iqbal leaving no stone unturned to ensure they could host the cricketing superpower. It would have certainly benefited the board too financially - hosting the Indian team is a dream for every cricketing nation considering their brand value and the hype surrounding them across the globe.

Given how things have panned out following Hasina’s presser, the foreign ministry's immediate reaction suggesting Bangladesh is unhappy, and the Home Minister's remarks on Saturday showing his displeasure. It is safe to say that hosting India in September is a distant dream for Bangladesh, if not impossible.

A top BCB official echoed the same sentiment on the condition of anonymity when his attention was drawn by Cricbuzz regarding hosting India in September.

“I am doubtful about the series now after all the recent development,” the official said on Saturday.

“I don't think we will get any response from the other side (as far as the series is concerned) and truth be told, it was supposed to happen by August 28, how many days do we have left?” he asked.

“I don't think so (that the series will proceed as planned). We tried our best on behalf of the cricket board but this is beyond all of us at this point,” he said, adding that until it is officially called off, all they can do is hope.

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