Local batters not standing out this BPL

The ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League was to be used for gearing up the local stars for the forthcoming T20 World Cup in June. However, in terms of performance, that has not happened so far.

Mushfiqur Rahim tops the run-scoring charts in this BPL, with 180 runs under his belt, but local batters have not been able to match the veteran’s haul.

Yesterday’s fixtures saw Sylhet Strikers’ Zakir Hasan accumulate runs under his belt, Chattogram Challengers’ Tanzid Hasan Tamim made some headway with a fifty off 40 balls in the after match before Durdanto Dhaka’s Naim Sheikh and Khulna Tigers’ Anamul Haque Bijoy made their presence felt.

Yet, in a tournament where the lion’s share of responsibility falls on local talents, their impact has left a lot to be desired.

Last year, the top three run-getters in the tournament were Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rony Talukdar and Tawhid Hridoy. Before yesterday’s evening fixture, 13 games have gone and the three are yet to find their feet in this tournament, which does not bode well for the national team.

The momentum has just not come despite Zakir, Shahadat Hossain or Anamul Haque Bijoy providing some sparks. Given that wickets in USA and West Indies are expected to be subcontinental-esque, it does not paint a pretty picture of the national team’s prospects in the coming mega event.

Even though Mushfiqur, Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal are in the top 10 amongst run-getters, none of them are going to play the T20 World Cup. More importantly, local players need the tournament to be a challenge that can take them to the next level.

Chattogram Challengers opener Tanzid, who was a regular feature for the Tigers in the ODI World Cup India last year, was asked yesterday about whether the bowling seemed up to the standard of international cricket.

“I don’t think about which bowler is bowling, but play according to merit. Any bowler may be bowling but if we think of just who is bowling, then it’s difficult. Obviously, there are quality bowlers here and every team have quality players,” Tanzid replied.

Yet, an associate nation pacer from Chattogram and Tanzid’s teammate Bilal Khan, caused much trouble for Sylhet Strikers yesterday. Sylhet could only muster a meagre 137 despite having six wickets in the bank after skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza chose to bat first. With eight wickets Bilal is the highest wicket-taker in the tournament while national team spinner Mahedi Hasan and pacer Shoriful Islam are the ones that have carried the flag for local stars.

There are no quality leg-spinners yet to turn out in the tournament. If a BPL is going to be used to make national team batters come up to the standards of the T20 circuit, they should be tested with more.

Avishka Fernando, who has notched this edition’s biggest score of 91, has been out of the Sri Lanka side since January 2023. Similar instances involve Fortune Barishal’s Ahmed Shehzad, who had retired from the Pakistan Super League (PSL), having cited deliberate effort from all the franchises to not pick him.

Yet, here in the BPL, Shahzad notched a 17-ball 39 against Chattogram, while none of the locals are matching that strike-rate. T20, after all, is predominantly a batters’ game, and bar some sporadic instances like Aliss Al Islam’s mystery spin, a lot more is desired.HIGHLIGHT

Even though Mushfiqur Rahim, Imrul Kayes and Tamim Iqbal are in the top 10 amongst run-getters, none of them are going to play the T20 World Cup. More importantly, local players need the tournament to be a challenge that can take them to the next level.