BCB aims to raise NCL standards
The lack of competitiveness and below-par standards of the domestic first class competition -- the National Cricket League (NCL) -- has been a common feature of Bangladesh cricket for many years.
In the 18 years since getting Test status, Bangladesh's improvement in the longest version of cricket has not matched their progress in limited-overs and that has consistently led to the issues plaguing domestic first class competitions to be highlighted.
And once again after the debacle in the recently-concluded tour of West Indies -- where the visitors faced a humiliating two-match Test series defeat and registered their lowest total of 43 runs in Antigua -- the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has yet again realised the need to improve the quality of first class competition.
Chief selector Minhajul Abedin informed that the board was willing to raise the standards of the NCL, pressing the issue of quality selection in the upcoming edition of the four-day competition, which will feature eight teams and is scheduled to start in the first week of October.
"We are working to ensure that this tournament is competitive and that the cricketers are serious about competition. We have a coordination meeting two or three weeks before the tournament starts. We will place a standard of selection. If we want to establish ourselves in Test cricket then there is no way other than having a standard domestic first-class tournament. Everyone involved in this tournament needs to contribute. I hope we will be able to start a good thing from the coming season of NCL," Minhajul told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.
He added that the board was planning to provide technical assistance by offering physios and trainers and that it would also arrange a programme with first class cricketers ahead of the NCL.
"We have a lot of paid players in first class. We discussed criteria, system and fitness of the players and this will start from the first week of September. The target is to ensure that first class cricketers match or are near the fitness levels of national team cricketers. We are involving the fitness trainers and physios for this.
"We saw many cricketers in the High Performance squad faced injuries. This happens especially when the cricketers come to camps following a domestic season. The NCL is starting from the first week of October so we will have around a month to get first class cricketers in shape. I hope we will be able to set a standard from this," he said.
Minhajul also praised the Bangladesh A team's performance in Ireland, where the visitors finished the five-match one-day series 2-2 after the first match was abandoned due to rain. They also clinched the three-match T20 series 2-1.
The chief selector also pointed out a few names, such as Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun and Al Amin, who caught the selectors' attention with their performances in the difficult Irish conditions and added that it would help them prepare alternatives for the national side.
