Replicate Test conditions in domestic circuit
The currently top-ranked ODI bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been in the spotlight recently due to his fiery performance in the longer version of the game as the Indian's match figures of nine wickets for 86 runs helped defeat hosts Australia by a massive 137-run margin in the third Test at Melbourne.
The emergence of Bumrah as a lethal pacer and the incredible improvement of India's fast bowling department -- a country best known for producing great spinners -- was not an overnight achievement but an outcome of their change in domestic mindset over the years to a pace-friendly one. The 25-year old right-arm pacer mentioned the contribution of India's first-class Ranji Trophy tournament behind his success in Test cricket.
"We train very hard and we are used to bowling a lot of overs in Ranji cricket, so the body is doing well," said Bumrah after his impressive showing against Australia.
Similarly, if Bangladesh are to improve in any department, the base needs to be built at the local level by improving domestic standards.
In recent times, however, Bangladesh's trend has been to make spin-friendly pitches and bank on slower bowlers more to yield positive results when hosting any side other than teams from the subcontinent -- a strategy that has paid off very well for the Tigers in Test matches over the past two years.
2016 was the year when the strategy of greeting visitors with spin-friendly tracks had brought the first major Test success for Bangladesh. In October of that year, the Tigers recorded their first-ever Test triumph against England, defeating them by 108 runs in the second Test to salvage a 1-1 series draw at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz announced himself to the world as he scalped 12 wickets while Shakib Al Hasan's guile helped him take five wickets in that match.
In August of the following year, Shakib's 10-for helped Bangladesh to their maiden Test win over mighty Australia, who they defeated by 20 runs in the first Test in similar conditions at the same venue.
The trend remained the same this year too when Bangladesh managed three wins -- one against Zimbabwe in a drawn series and two against West Indies that resulted in a 2-0 scoreline, banking on spinners in November and December respectively.
However, like India, Bangladesh also need to ensure competitive cricket at the domestic level and while talking to The Daily Star, two domestic colossuses in batsman Tushar Imran and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak agreed that the onus should be on creating sporting tracks which are not just spin-friendly but also green tracks that help pacers. The 36-year old Razzak -- who recently became the first Bangladeshi to have taken 500 first-class wickets – opined that replicating spin-friendly tracks seen in recent Test wins for use in the domestic circuit would help the slower bowlers to exploit it and also prepare batsmen to play spin more effectively.
"I think we should prepare all types of pitches in domestic cricket so that we will be able to cope with different types of pitches, which are good for both batters and bowlers. For instance, nowadays we prepare spin-friendly tracks for visitors and if we can prepare those types of wickets in first-class cricket also, the players will be prepared to face such tough conditions."
There were quite a few pace-friendly pitches in the latest seasons of the Bangladesh Cricket League and the National Cricket League, helping seamers like Ebadat Hossain, Abu Jayed, Abu Hider and Shahidul Islam dictate terms. The left-arm spinner saw the increased competitiveness due to such tracks as an improvement.
"I think after a lot of talk finally we have started to get sporting pitches in our first-class competitions. Maybe it's not up to the mark, but it is getting better. There were a few wickets which were spin-friendly and a few were pace-friendly, which is very good. Cricket is always more competitive when you get wickets that produce results.
"Previously, first-class cricket in Bangladesh was termed as picnic cricket but I will say it has changed a lot."
Tushar -- the only Bangladeshi batsman to have reached the landmarks of 10,000 and 11,000 first-class runs -- said that sporting tracks at the domestic level would help players to develop and eventually perform at the international stage.
"There was a lot of talk over the pitches but to be honest, the wickets are sporting in first-class competitions now. As a player, there is always a lot for a batsman as well as for the bowlers -- both spinners and pacers.
"If you look closely, you can see that players who work hard and make a habit of scoring runs or picking up wickets in first-class cricket are the ones who eventually end up getting success at international level like Mominul [Haque], Liton [Das] and others. It is important as an individual how you want to improve, so they work accordingly in first-class competitions. So it is important to play as much first-class cricket as possible and it can be a message to others."
Tushar seemed to be on board with the selection process at domestic level as he deemed it to be acceptable.
"Nowadays it is mandatory to give fitness tests to qualify for first-class competitions. I think only the top performers of the National Cricket League get opportunities in the Bangladesh Cricket League, so I think the selection process is fine."
However, both Tushar and Razzak shared similar thoughts on the pay scale of players participating in first-class leagues as the former identified it as an area for improvement while Razzak said that an increase in payment could actually motivate them to perform even better.
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