Fahim loses temper over questions on Mashrafe and Shakib

On Monday, officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held a meeting with former national team captains, but Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was notably absent. When asked about his absence, Nazmul Abedeen did not provide an answer—instead, he became visibly agitated.

Another former captain, Shakib Al Hasan, who has not returned to the country since the recent political shift, was also missing from the meeting. When questioned about Shakib's absence, Nazmul Abedeen became even more irritated, visibly expressing his anger. Once again, he responded with a counter-question: "Any more questions about Shakib?"

The meeting at the BCB office was chaired by BCB President Faruq Ahmed and attended by top board officials. The primary focus of the discussion was the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), but the board members also sought the opinions of former captains regarding the overall state of cricket in the country. Present at the meeting were Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, Minhajul Abedeen Nannu, Shahriar Nafees, Mominul Haque, Liton Kumar Das, and seven others. Former wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud Pilot joined via video conference.

However, two of Bangladesh's most successful captains—Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan—did not attend, either in person or online. Shakib, despite expressing interest, could not play his farewell Test in Bangladesh due to his prolonged stay abroad following the political transition. Meanwhile, Mashrafe, though still in the country, has largely withdrawn from public and cricket-related engagements. Both were members of the now-ousted Awami League government.

Considering their immense contributions to Bangladesh cricket, it would not have been unusual for them to participate in this discussion with the BCB president and former captains. Asking whether they had been invited or if they had joined online was a valid question. However, when journalists inquired about this after the meeting, Nazmul Abedeen became visibly frustrated instead of providing a straightforward answer.

A journalist asked, "You invited all the former captains today. Did you invite Bangladesh's most successful captain, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza? Was he asked to join online?" Before the question was even completed, Nazmul Abedeen interrupted, saying, "Do you have to… does this question have to be asked? No… does it really have to be asked?"

Instead of answering, he deflected with a counter-question: "Next question."

Towards the end of the press conference, another journalist asked whether those who could not attend in person had joined online. In response, Nazmul Abedeen curtly replied, "Yes." When asked specifically whether Shakib had joined online, he simply said, "No." His irritation was apparent, as he raised his finger at the reporter and asked, "Any more questions? About Shakib?"

Earlier, Shahriar Nafees, the in-charge of BCB's cricket operations department and a former captain himself, spoke to the media regarding the invitations. He said, "Everyone accepted the invitation. Some were abroad due to ongoing matches or had professional commitments. However, all acknowledged the invitation. Some were present, while others could not make it. But everyone responded positively."