Questionable players' list
There is a lot of talk among the local cricketers ahead of their auction for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) which will be held on January 19.
National selectors alongside the BPL governing council have put together an 82-member list divided into three categories. Some of the more accomplished cricketers are expecting a huge pay day while the lesser-known ones are crossing their fingers for a lucky break.
"The BPL governing council and we, the selectors, have put a lot of thought into putting together the list. We have tried to make sure that those placed in the top two grades have a better chance of getting a team in the competition," said chief selector Akram Khan.
Though Grade A and B are largely fine, the placement of Aftab Ahmed, Shuvogoto Hom Chowdhury and Faisal Hossain is quite surprising given their style of cricket. But Akram believed that it was performance that ultimately counted.
"Looking at the statistics, you'll see that he [Aftab Ahmed] hasn't played that well in the last 2-3 years. He also hasn't scored that quickly either. The same goes for [Faisal Hossain] Dickens," said the former national captain.
But the louder outcry is from those who were left out. The likes of Iftekhar Nayeem, Mizanur Rahman, Uttam Sarkar, Talha Jubair, Nabil Samad, Monir Hossain and Tarek Aziz are not in the list and given that 20-25 cricketers will eventually be cut out, these players will miss the ride for the first season.
The inclusion of Rajin Saleh and Mohammad Sharif have also raised questions due to their style or future prospects while Avishek Mitra (one first-class game; one half-century in Premier League), Abul Bashar (91 first-class runs; 1 Premier League game) and Mohammad Shahzada (one first-class game, no Premier League games) are also strange picks.
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