A shocking incident has rocked the domestic sporting arena as national women’s team cricketer Ishma Tanjim attempted suicide following her exclusion from the high-performance training camp. The 29-year-old all-rounder was left in a state of severe emotional distress after being dropped from the Bangladesh Women’s Emerging Team. Tanjim alleged that she was completely fit but was unfairly excluded under the pretext of an injury. She also spoke out about being subjected to toxic internal politics and unfavourable situations within the cricketing establishment over a prolonged period.
The Bangladesh Women’s Emerging Team had commenced its intensive residential training programme at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP) in Savar, geared towards preparing the squad for an upcoming tour of South Africa. Whilst Tanjim was initially included in the preliminary 27-member squad for the first phase of the camp, she was subsequently axed when the selectors trimmed the list down to a final 21-member roster for the second phase. This sudden omission triggered severe psychological trauma, leading to her self-harm attempt on Friday, 3 July.
Speaking to the media after regaining consciousness on Sunday, Tanjim voiced her frustration regarding the management’s decision. “The team management justified my exclusion by citing fitness concerns,” she explained. “Although I have an old ankle injury, I was completely fit to play. Yet, they claimed that this injury rendered me unready for the subsequent phase of the camp. I have been facing various toxic situations within the team setup for a very long time.”
Following the suicide attempt, the cricketer was rushed to a medical facility for urgent emergency treatment. After her physical condition stabilized, she was discharged and brought back to her residence on Sunday evening. Reflecting on her deep connection to the sport, she remarked, “I am still physically unwell. I played cricket purely out of love for the game. I never calculated how much money I would earn from it. My passion for the sport is so immense that I simply could not process being discarded like this. It also pains me deeply that I do not even possess a photograph from my debut match for the national team.”
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has maintained a cautious stance on the matter. When approached for comments, multiple top-ranking board officials claimed they were completely unaware of the suicide attempt. However, independent sources within the BCB confirmed that fitness issues were indeed the official reason given by the medical and selection teams for leaving her out of the final training squad.
Tanjim’s international career includes representing the senior national team in three One-Day Internationals and four Twenty20 Internationals. The extreme step taken by an experienced athlete has sparked serious concern regarding the mental health support systems available to professional sportspeople in the country, casting a shadow over the team’s preparations for the South African tour.