KOLKATA: Livid Bangladesh fans are blaming their prime minister for drawing world attention to the burgeoning militancy in their backyard after Cricket Australia (CA) scrapped a scheduled tour to their country over security concerns this week.
Among several other theories, fans have also cited the ongoing tour by their women’s team to Pakistan as a trigger point, saying it was taking place against the wishes of the Australians, angering them.
But after initial taunts against the Baggy Greens – Bangla fans called them cowards afraid to face a side that beat Pakistan, India and South Africa recently at home – mass ire has turned to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Hasina invited severe criticism for asking her British counterpart to check the rise of UK jihadists, who she says are fomenting extremism in Bangladesh.
Many Bangladesh cricket fans believe their premier made the Australians uneasy by talk of rising militancy in their country.