Bangladesh Cricketers Face Fury and Facebook Fallout After ODI Whitewash
Despite a clean sweep against Afghanistan in the T20 series following the Asia Cup, Bangladesh’s cricketers suffered a reverse outcome in the ODI series, losing 0–3. This poor performance sparked outrage among a section of fans, some of whom expressed their anger aggressively upon the team’s return.
On Wednesday night, October 15, several players, including opener Mohammad Naim and pacer Taskin Ahmed, faced harassment at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka after arriving from the United Arab Emirates. Videos of the incident went viral on social media the following day, October 16, where angry voices and abusive remarks directed at the players could clearly be heard.
In response, Mohammad Naim shared his distress in a Facebook post, writing, “The way hatred was expressed towards us today, the attack on our car — it really hurts. We are human; we make mistakes. But we never lack love or effort for our country. Every moment, we try for the nation, for the people, to bring smiles to your faces.”
Meanwhile, another Facebook post — from a verified account — has stirred further controversy online. The post, criticizing the team’s poor performance, contained an open threat to spectators who plan to attend the upcoming West Indies series.
Claiming to live near the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur, the individual wrote, “Some brothers from Mirpur and I are forming a team to ‘deal with’ those who still come to watch this team play in the current situation.”
Identifying himself as a member of the “Behaya (shameless) Supporters Association of Bangladesh,” he added, “If anyone gets beaten up or highly injured while coming to watch their favorite team play, Mirpur residents can’t be blamed. We just want an empty gallery like this.” The post included a screenshot of a live streaming clip showing an empty stadium gallery and Bangladesh’s score of 70 for 4 in 18.5 overs during the second power play.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has expressed deep concern over both the online and offline hostility directed toward the players. The board views such reactions — particularly the threatening social media post — as potential security threats to both players and spectators.
Sources said law enforcement authorities have already begun tracking down the individual who issued the threat to “punish” spectators.
However, followers and supporters of the post’s author have defended him, claiming the content was intended merely as satire.
