Bangladesh skipper Mashrafee bin Murtaza said that on Thursday that the Dhaka Premier League, which will get underway today, provides the best opportunity for upcoming and budding talents of the country to show their talent. DPL, the only list-A 50-over tournament, will start with three different games including the one between Mashrafee-led Kalabagan Krira Chakra and domestic giant Abahani Limited at Fatullah.
Bangladesh have shown some wonderful performance over the last two seasons in world arena but their domestic four-day tournament does not have enough intensity or quality and traditionally the one-day tournament has been the most intense one.
‘Where else? Where is the chance [for talents] to come from somewhere else?’ ‘Mashrafee told reporters in Mirpur, insisting that there is no other place for the youngsters to show their mettle.
Apart from Dhaka league, Bangladesh Premier League, a franchise-based Twenty20 cricket tournament has become a crucial item in local cricket but Tiger skipper believes that T20 format is not the best platform to judge the basic skill of a cricketer.
‘You will pick a player from BPL and that will be the worst scene. You cannot pick a player on the basis of Twenty20 cricket.’
‘Bangladesh has strong 4-day cricket and one-day cricket as DPL. You have to pick players from here’.
Mashrafee, however did not totally discard BPL as he believes it will produce good T20 players but he thought one-day and longer formats are the best place for the breeding of good players.
‘It’s natural that some players for T20 may come out from BPL. But good players shall come out from one-day format or first class format.’
Not only Bangladesh national team but the Under-19 team also had made their improvement as they clinched third position in this year’s World Cup and those successful junior Tigers will also have their maiden chance to show-case their talent with seniors in DPL.
In that sense, this season’s DPL will also be a great opportunity for the future generation cricketers to raise their level and the inspirational captain asked them just to focus on performing the best and not the result that he reckoned will make them successful.
‘Try to perform your level best,’ said Mashrafee. ‘I think everybody has the chance to play at the top level. I won’t ask them to target anything but to perform their best,’ Mashrafee told to young players.
This edition of DPL will also lack foreign players, at least of good quality, as most of them are busy elsewhere and that will also provides more responsibility and opportunity for the local players to prove their prowess.
Sri Lanka will tour to England on next month and Pakistani players are busy with their domestic tournament Super Cup, so none of the national players of those two countries are likely to be available in DPL anytime soon.
Australia team postponed their Bangladesh tour for security concerns and it is unlikely that any of their players may feature in DPL, while English players will not be available due to their responsibilities in their ongoing county cricket.
That will be the case for Indian and most of the West Indies and South African cricketers as they are playing in the ongoing Indian Premier League.
The other two matches of today will be held in BKSP between Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club and Cricket Coaching School and in Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium between defending champions Prime Bank Cricket Club and Gazi Cricketers.
Today’s Matches
Dhaka Premier League
Prime Bank Cricket Club v Gazi Group Cricketers, SBNS
Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club v Cricket Coaching School, BKSP-3
Abahani Limited v Kalabagan Krira Chakra, Fatullah
-With New Age input
