Sylhet hungry for exposure

As the Bangladesh Premier League came to the idyllic Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, there came vibrancy and crowds turning up in numbers to watch the Sylhet Strikers play Rangpur Riders yesterday. But beneath the glitter of the BPL, there is a disappointment from Sylhet's organisers at not being able to host international matches regularly despite having the facilities required to become a truly international venue.

The venue hosted its last ODI in 2020 and the only Test played here was back in 2018, when Zimbabwe played Bangladesh. The last men's T20I was played in the same year as well.

"We believe that, given the facilities, beauty and everything else, we should host more tournaments here. We always expect that but often find ourselves being disappointed. We didn't get the England tour but Ireland's tour will take place here, so we are hopeful," BCB director and women's wing chairman Shafiul Alam Chowdhury told reporters yesterday.

"We had some limitations in regards to accommodation and practice facilities, but we overcame them and made quite a lot of progress. I am hopeful that those who decide on the fixtures and venues will be kinder," he added.

The airport road is not congested while the hotel, which is Sylhet's main accommodation arrangement for international players, and teams is just a few minutes' drive from the airport. The stadium is a 15-20-minute drive from that hotel.

The Sylhet International Cricket Stadium and the adjacent Outer Stadium known as Ground 2 have 34 wickets altogether, according to organisers. Facilities include an indoor gym, four dressing rooms and a media box able to meet the requirements of international tournaments.

The main venue holds 22,000 and, during yesterday's matches, pulled the crowd in with many making it to the Green Gallery, a specialty of the Sylhet venue.

It raises the question of what more is required to host international fixtures more regularly.

The point of controversy that arose recently regarding Sylhet's accommodation came when Akram Khan, the chairman of facilities, said in an interview that England did not want to play in Sylhet.

"The officials who come to inspect venues look at traveling arrangements and security. They don't show interest in too many venues. We talked to England about Sylhet but they didn't want to play across more than two venues," Akram said.

"Sylhet had issues with two to three wickets but now Ireland will play here. The England series venue was decided six months back and we wanted Sylhet's wickets to get a little more settled," a BCB high-up told The Daily Star yesterday.

Last year, when Sylhet hosted the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL), the majority of the focus on the tournament was on the tired wickets present at the time. The low bounce especially made for some poor scores, with both players and organisers stating that wickets were below-par. However, much of that changed with a change of curator last year.

Sheikh Mahedi was getting ample turn with his off-spin yesterday while the likes of Azmatuallah Omarzai got swing with the new ball. Bounce too was on offer.

"As a venue, Sylhet's facilities are not lacking, but in recent times touring boards have higher demands for accommodation," one BCB source claimed, indicating that accommodation was still an issue for some.

"Maybe we have to ensure seven-star arrangements since five-star is already there," Shafiqul told the media yesterday when asked if there was room for excuse in not choosing Sylhet more often.

Given the nature of the facilities now on offer, few arguments hold water, especially given that making Sylhet more prominent could also help boosts tourism, a sector where improvement as a country is possible.

The cricket being played does signal that the wickets are getting better and it is hoped that the venue can entertain more fixtures and sate the locals' appetite.