Former pacer Tapash Baishya blasts ‘Captains’ Card’ as discriminatory

Former Bangladesh pacer Tapash Baishya has strongly criticised the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) initiative to honour former captains with special ‘Captains’ Cards’, terming it discriminatory towards other former national players.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Baishya expressed frustration over what he described as a long-standing culture of inequality, arguing that the latest move by the BCB ad hoc committee, led by Tamim Iqbal, further deepens the divide between captains and other cricketers.

“This era’s discrimination!! Earlier, captains had AC boxes to watch matches while other national teammates had to sit in the general gallery!! And now there’s a card!!” Baishya wrote.

The former pacer questioned the preferential treatment given to captains, suggesting it undermines the collective nature of the sport.

“Captains are kings and others are subjects!! Just because you are a captain, you become a ‘Chowdhury’, and what about the rest of the teammates?

“Eleven or fourteen players play together as a team, and after retirement, all of them are national cricketers!!” he wrote.

He also pointed to the example of Mohammad Rafique, one of Bangladesh’s most popular cricketers, to highlight what he sees as the absurdity of the system.

“How many captains are as popular as Rafique bhai? He will sit in the general gallery while an inexperienced captain sits in the AC box…”

Baishya further questioned why benefits such as health insurance should be limited to captains.

“If captains need health insurance, what about the other teammates?” he asked.

Urging others to protest, Baishya wrote: “If anyone has self-respect, they will protest this discrimination… Those who received the cards won’t, because they have now become ‘Chowdhurys’ of Bangla cinema…”

Baishya also said the initiative has left him disillusioned with his identity as a former national player.

“Because of this discrimination, I feel ashamed to even identify myself as a former national cricketer… This is extreme discrimination in this era…”

He concluded with a strong remark against former players holding top positions within the board.

“I want that no former cricketer ever becomes board president again… I have seen it all…”

The BCB recently introduced the ‘Captains’ Card’ to honour current and former captains, offering benefits such as free stadium access, VVIP parking, health insurance, and medical support -- a move the board described as a gesture of respect, but one that has now sparked debate within the cricketing community.