The Bangladesh test and T20I captain Shakib Al Hasan doesn’t agree with the rules that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has set for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The BCB has made it compulsory for all the teams to pick a leg spinner and an express fast bowler whose general bowling speed is 140 kph or more than that.
A couple of coaches who refused to pick leg spinners in the playing XI in the ongoing National Cricket League (NCL) were sacked immediately by the board. By doing that, the BCB wanted to send a message to the BPL teams that they have to follow the rules set by them when the BPL gets underway.
The BCB is of the view that the Bangladeshi batsmen have struggled while facing the leg spinners and the express fast bowlers in the recent times. So, if they play those types of bowlers in BPL, they will be better prepared to face such bowlers in international cricket in future. At the same time, it will also help the leg spinners develop their skills.
Shakib admits that the board has made this decision with the right intention, but he reckons if the leg sinners have to develop their skills, it’s important for them to bowl long spells in domestic red ball cricket rather than in the BPL.
According to Shakib, the purpose of BPL is to give the domestic cricketers an opportunity to get familiar with the kind of scenario they might come across while playing at the international level. It’s more about making them learn how to tackle crucial situations in the game, rather than developing their skills. Development of skills happens in first class cricket.
“The BPL is an international-standard competitive tournament where you will face scenarios that you are likely to face in international cricket. It is not the place to make a player.” Shakib was quoted saying by the Bengali newspaper Samakal.
