Any team representing Bangladesh in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 in India in October is unlikely despite the country having launched a high-profile tournament in the shape of Bangladesh Premier League earlier this year.
The Champions League came into discussion once again after India said it has no objection to giving hospitality to a Pakistani side, leaving two Test-playing countries, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, out of the tournament.
It is now expected that Sialkot Stallions, the champions of Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, a low-profile event devoid of international cricketers, will represent the country in the Champions League.
While Pakistan itself does not rate the tournament very highly and is mulling an IPL-style Pakistan Premier League, Bangladesh has successfully staged the BPL where players from all Test-playing countries, apart from India, participated.
It put the BPL in the same bracket with Indian Premier League, Big Bash of Australia, Friend Life Twenty20 tournament of England and South Africa’s Pro20 competition.
Bangladesh had had a franchise-based Twenty20 competition in 2010 before it launched the BPL but that did not help them in getting a slot in the Champions League T20 as, according to international cricket community, the tournament was not up to the mark.
But with the introduction of BPL, Bangladesh’s cricket fans were hoping to see their champions in the Champions League, but unlike the Pakistanis, the BCB officials could not convince the organisers.
The Champions League Twenty20 is run and owned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa and the International Cricket Council does not have any role in the tournament.
It left the BCB in a tricky position as they have to convince the three Boards instead of the ICC to get a slot in the tournament
BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal said they have already requested the CLTwenty20 authorities to consider a team from Bangladesh and hopes that in near future they might have a chance.
‘I have already requested them and hopefully a team of our country will be seen in the tournament in future,’ Kamal told New Age on Sunday.
‘The Pakistani team is certainly much stronger than us and that gave them an edge over us in the tournament,’ said Kamal.
Gazi Ashraf Hossain, chairman of the BPL governing council, said if they can keep on hosting such a tournament in future then a team of a BPL might be considered.
‘This was the first edition of BPL so certainly they had been observing how well it was organised. If we can keep on holding the tournament then we have a chance but it will be difficult,’ said Ashraf.
‘We can have a chance to play in the qualification round and if we succeed then we may play in the main round of the competition,’ said Ashraf.
-With New Age input
