Lacking only true pitch

Without any doubt, the new look National Cricket League made an impressive start. But it seems that a major issue remains unchanged: want a true pitch.
It was shocking to watch the unsporting behaviour of the surface at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur during the first round tie between the two star-studded opponents -- Dhaka and Khulna.
The board has taken a lot of initiatives to make NCL worthy but without good wickets everything will go in vain, especially when the Tigers have a trip to New Zealand in December-January.
"There were difficulties in both ways. It was hard for batsmen to play strokes and bowling was also not so easy in it (Mirpur wicket). It is really hard to understand the behaviour of this black-clay surface. We were afraid when Dhaka sent us to bat first in the four-day game but surprisingly we were proved wrong," said Khulna skipper Habibul Bashar.
The ball kept low from the very beginning of the longer-version game and there was no change in the corresponding surface for the limited-over game that understandably upset Tigers and Dhaka captain Mohammad Ashraful.
"We were hardly benefited by playing on these pitches," said Ashraful.
But it was said that the home of cricket would be special. Not only for its top class facilities but also the character of wickets when Australian curator Richard Winter had predicted a bouncy pitch, although unusual in the subcontinent, two years ago. He also mentioned that the outfield would take some time to gain pace.
Initially it gave the right impression but suddenly the wicket became pretty flat and slow. The board is spending a lot of money to maintain the grounds but the question is whether it is yielding the required results.
Many thought that the local expert's lack of technical knowledge on maintenance of a pitch to ensure good bounce is the reason behind this failure and they believe that it would be wise for the board to hire someone from abroad to look after this important area.
"It is really frustrating," said former Bangladesh captain Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, who now holds a very important post in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as chairman of cricket operations committee, on the Mirpur pitch after the one-day match on Tuesday.
Lipu was one of the persons who told time and again that without sporting wickets, it is impossible to think about quality and competitive cricket in the country's first-class competition.
"You can't expect good cricket on them. We have to think about it seriously. Proper maintenance is a big factor and BCB is ready to spend more money in this area but definitely in the right way. If we are ready to spend money for a high-profile foreign coach then why not for a same level curator," questioned Lipu.
"If black-clay is a problem, then we should replace it with better ones. These days you can even use drop-in pitches," he added.
The man in charge Shafiqur Rahman Munna, chairman of the grounds committee, however was quite happy with the pitches behaviour in the three venues.
"As far as I know, the Rajshahi wicket was fantastic while there were also no complaints from Chittagong and Bogra. Yes, the wickets are low in the four-day game in Mirpur but it was quite okay in the one-day game," explained the seasoned organiser.
"The season has just started and I think it would be much better as the tournament progresses. I don't think black-clay is a problem and I also have faith in my local curators because they have passed the level 3 course," he said.
Munna also said that they have no plan to appoint a foreign curator to raise the standard of the pitches at the moment.