After a historic series whitewash of New Zealand the national cricketers will shift their focus on the domestic scene when the one-day competition of the 12th National Cricket League (NCL) starts from October 23.
However the Tigers members will be available for only the first phase which is scheduled to end on November 5 as after that they will start their preparation for the home series against Zimbabwe in December, their last international engagement before next year’s World Cup.
The tournament offers players like Junaed Siddiqui and Rokibul Hasan the opportunity to get back among runs before the next international assignment against the Africans as both the batsmen struggled in the country’s most successful series against the Black Caps.
The focus will be also on Mohammad Ashraful, who was dropped due to poor form, as only some big scores can bring the former national skipper to the spotlight before the series. It’s a great chance for the experienced batsman to cash in on the opportunity as the Tigers’ middle-order appeared to be the cause for concern.
Ashraful got off to a good start in the domestic competition when he made a hundred in the first four-dayer of the National Cricket League but the longer-version was suspended after the first round following persistent rain.
The one-day league will have two phases with the top two finishers in terms of accumulated points playing in a final match to determine the championship.
In the first phase, six divisional teams will play each other on a single league basis with each team getting five matches and top four teams will qualify for the second phase where points from the first phase will be carried over.
In the second phase, four divisions will play each other on a single league basis with each team getting three matches.
All matches of the first phase will be held at three different venues — Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, Shaheed Kamruzzaman Stadium in Rajshahi and Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra.
