“The way we bowled the googly, the opponents were bowled.”
“You bowled a googly but it was a no ball. It won’t count.”
“We will not get you out no ball or lbw, but we will uproot your middle stamp.”
Anyone reading the above mentioned three lines may involuntarily think that the discussion is about cricket. The opponents of the game are fiercely attacking each other.
But those who are updated about Bangladesh politics know that these words were said by politicians. Some top leaders of the two biggest political parties of the country recently had a war of words on these lines.
In the last few days, three senior leaders of Awami League and BNP commented on the above lines. It seems that the political “field” has literally become the “playground”.
Ordinary people, who are reeling under anxiety as politics turns more violent ahead of national elections, may have found some entertainment. Few can imagine, Fakhrul Islam Alamgir of BNP bowling leg-spin and Obaidul Kader of Awami League was googled for bowling. However, the latter returned his smile by pointing to the opponents umpire, who adjudged it a no-ball.
Meanwhile, senior BNP leader fast bowler Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, standing on cover, said angrily, “Just hand me the ball in the next over and I’ll cartwheel the stumps.”
Meanwhile, a player from the batting team was seen shouting ‘khela hobe, khela hobe’ (the show will go on) from the pavilion.
We often hear, don’t mix politics with sports, implying that sports is an ‘innocent’ thing and should not be polluted by ‘corrupt’ things like politics. But, in modern times this is a silly analogy.
