BCB looks to ‘Dosor’ Shakib to contain World Cup backlash

Staff Correspondent

The BCB’s announcement to bring Shakib Al Hasan back to the national team (subject to fitness) has sparked a storm of anger and criticism on social media. Coming just a day after Bangladesh was ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup by the ICC, cricket fans are seeing it as a ‘stunt’, a ‘ploy to appease anger’ and an ‘attempt to cover up failure’.

The reaction has been reflected in thousands of posts and comments on Facebook, X (Twitter) and other platforms. One X user wrote: “World Cup exit, board resignation rumours, fixing allegations—Shakib’s sudden return amidst all this! BCB is on fire, Shakib’s issue is just to ease tension.”

Another said, “Do the people of the country eat grass? Shakib is being made a trump card to cover up the loss of not playing in the World Cup.”

Many have raised the question – if Shakib is so important, why wasn’t his presence confirmed without giving up the opportunity to play in the World Cup?

A popular post said: “Will the World Cup come back if Shakib returns? Otherwise, it’s just a cheap ploy to cool down the public’s anger.”

Some have called it a ‘diversion technique’ to divert attention from the board’s internal crisis (director resignations, brawls, fixing allegations).

Some fans, however, see this announcement as positive, but like the majority, it is not timely and will not make up for the loss of the World Cup.

A viral comment: “Shakib is being used as a shield to hide… but the anger is not decreasing, but rather increasing!”

The ongoing debate on social media over the BCB’s move seems to have deepened the crisis of trust among cricket fans. Many are claiming that if Shakib’s return is indeed happening, it should be done impartially and through proper process—not just for crisis management.