Bangladesh’s newest hero, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, who bowled a match-winning spell against India on Friday, is in trouble after his old Facebook posts resurfaced recently. The posts contained multiple sexist remarks that demeaned women and portrayed them in bad light.
When the two neighbours faced off in the Asia Cup on Friday, Sakib successfully dismissed India skipper Rohit Sharma on his fourth delivery in international cricket. He then maintained composure in the thrilling last over to give Bangladesh the victory.
In one of his old posts on Facebook, Sakib wrote, "If the wife works, the husband’s rights are not ensured. If the wife works, the child’s rights are not ensured. If the wife works, her elegance is damaged. If the wife works, the family is ruined. If the wife works, the veil is ruined. If the wife works, society is ruined."
The posts received a lot of attention on social media, especially on Monday, and indignation from feminists and women's rights advocates followed. Sakib advised other men in another post and suggested that their sons would not have a "modest" mother if they married "a woman who is accustomed to free mixing with her male friends in a university."
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has opened an investigation into the matter in reaction to the uproar. The chief of operations at the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Jalal Yunus, stated that the board is aware of the matter.
The accused had a dream debut for Bangladesh, finishing with figures of 2/32. The spell included wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma as well as his Mumbai Indians’ teammate Tilak Varma, who was making his debut too. Along with the two wickets, he bowled an incredible last over under pressure and defended 12 runs off it to seal the dead-rubber game.
The Bangla Tigers are yet to name their squad for the ODI World Cup, which is scheduled for next month. After Sakib’s recent controversy, there are reports of him not getting selected; however, nothing has been confirmed yet. Bangladesh will start their campaign against Afghanistan on October 7 at Dharamsala.
