Not a T20 wicket, but not a bad one: Mallick
The organisational aspect of the Bangladesh Premier League has come under the spotlight after the return of the tournament to Dhaka for its final stretch which has been greeted by a string of low scores in the first two days. On Saturday, Rangpur Riders were dismissed for 97 by Comilla Victorians, who in turn lost six wickets and used up 19.3 overs to get the win. In Saturday's evening match Rajshahi Kings were all out for 106 chasing Dhaka Dynamites' 205, a big score that suggested that the pitch is better under lights -- a notion strengthened by the fact that in yesterday's day match Chittagong Vikings folded for 67.
Comilla skipper Tamim Iqbal and Rangpur captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, among the most experienced cricketers in Bangladesh cricket, derided the pitch after the match on Saturday, with Tamim calling the wicket 'horrible' and questioning why, with a 10-day gap because of the Chittagong leg, a better strip could not be prepared. BPL governing council member-secretary and Bangladesh Cricket Board director IH Mallick, however, had a different take and put the onus on the batsmen to score.
"No, it's not a horrible wicket," said Mallick in Mirpur after the end of yesterday's day match. "This wicket is prepared with the national team in mind and you cannot change that overnight. That is not just me talking, the groundstaff and the curator [Gamini Silva] say that you need three to four months to change the wicket. I agree that it is not suitable for T20s, but it's not horrible. If batsmen can adjust to the wicket and apply themselves then you can score 140-150 runs here.
Having said that it takes around three-four months to change a wicket, Mallick revised that number when reminded that there has been a gap of three months since the Australia Test in late August.
"No, I just said that. You need six to eight months to make a wicket.
"It is not right to bring the curator's ability into question," said Mallick when asked whether this has been a failure on Gamini's part. "He has been in charge of the ground for the last four years; no one questioned the curator when Bangladesh defeated India, Pakistan, South Africa and won two Tests here. If the batsmen don't apply their technique, it is unacceptable to blame the curator."
Mallick seemed to lose his cool when told that such issues did not crop up in the Sylhet or Chittagong legs.
"I have told you this very same thing before, if you don't want to understand it, I cannot explain it to a crazy person," said an irritated Mallick. "Here, a team has scored 205 and 97 [106] on the same wicket. I am not saying that it is a good T20 wicket, I admit that and in that there is a failure but we are trying to see if we can make it better. That is another matter, but it is not horrible."
Mallick also informed that the BCB CEO had a meeting with the Sylhet Sixers in connection to the franchise's complaint about bowler Kamrul Islam Rabbi bowling a seven-ball over against Rangpur Riders in Chittagong on November 28, when the two on-field umpires and the third umpire failed to correct the counting error on the field when reminded by the bowler. Mallick said that it will be looked into and there will be action taken if the incident was found to be intentional, but related that even the Sylhet Sixers did not think it was done on purpose.