Ahead of the T20 World Cup, chaos has erupted once again. Citing security concerns, Bangladesh decided not to travel to India to take part in the World Cup. Standing in solidarity with Bangladesh, Pakistan also boycotted their match against India, a fixture often described as the “hot cake” of the group stage. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the decisions taken by Bangladesh and Pakistan have left the global cricketing world in disarray.
At the center of all this was Bangladesh’s “cutter master,” Mustafizur Rahman. Bangladesh’s decision reportedly followed his removal from the IPL, after which Pakistan followed the same path. Yet despite the chain of events that shook the cricketing world, no reaction was heard directly from Mustafizur Rahman.
As surprising as it may sound, Mustafiz remained completely silent on the matter. In his absence, Bangladesh national team assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin attempted to speak on his behalf. From Thursday, Salahuddin will take charge as head coach of the Dhumketu XI in the upcoming Unstoppable Bangladesh T20 tournament—where Mustafiz will also be playing. While Mustafiz has not spoken publicly, it seems he finally broke his silence privately with his coach.
Speaking to reporters at Mirpur on Wednesday, Salahuddin said,
“I asked Mustafiz the question myself—‘What do you think?’ He replied, ‘Let it go.’ Meaning, whatever was meant to go has already gone.”
For this year’s IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders had signed Mustafiz for 92 million rupees. However, following threats from extremist groups and under instructions from the BCCI, the franchise later released him. Mustafiz, it seems, believes there is no point in worrying about things beyond his control. Salahuddin said he himself is trying to learn from Mustafiz’s mindset:
“I think this is something worth learning from Mustafiz. Whether it’s a huge amount of money or anything else—he could have easily fallen into disappointment. But he understands that this was not within his control. It wasn’t in his hands. I’ve learned this from Mustafiz, and perhaps others can learn from it too.”
Following Mustafiz’s exclusion from the IPL, Bangladesh decided not to travel to India for the World Cup due to security concerns. The team wanted to play their matches in Sri Lanka, another host country, but the ICC did not agree. Naturally, players who had been dreaming of playing in the World Cup for two years were bound to feel disappointed. Salahuddin acknowledged how difficult the situation has been:
“Honestly, it’s very hard to get something like this out of your head. Not everyone can be mentally strong. Overcoming disappointment is tough. But at the end of the day, as I said, if you keep dwelling on it, you’re only harming yourself.”
Expressing hope that the players will recover quickly from the setback, Salahuddin added:
“As professional athletes, they may look at it that way. But not everyone can control their emotions—it’s simply not humanly possible. We are human beings; we will have sorrow and pain, just as we will have happiness. The key is how I move forward. Staying focused on the present is probably the most important thing right now. I believe the boys will overcome this and stay focused on the tournament.”
