The fifth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League has already reached its half-way stage but still a lot of locals players, including some seasoned campaigners, are waiting to get enough opportunities to show their merit.
With the addition of more foreign big names and the national players slowly getting into form, it has become increasingly unlikely for these local players to get further chances in the most extravagant domestic Twenty20 tournament of the country.
Table-toppers Comilla Victorians, who picked former national team players like Arafat Sunny, Alok Kapali, and Roqibul Hasan, hardly opted for their services in the on-going tournament as they mostly relied on their overseas players, who were providing them success so far in the tournament.
Sunny, who owned the best economical figure of 3-0 in an innings in BPL history against Khulna Titans last year, played four matches for Comilla this year but failed to complete his full spell in all occasions.
Kapali played three matches for Comilla where he could bat in only one innings to score 26 runs but while he remained in the dug-out with his former national team-mate Roqibul was yet play any game this season.
Rangpur Riders included former national left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak from Grade A category of the players’ draft but they selected him only once against Rajshahi Kings in the tournament. The other left-arm spinner of the side, Elias Sunny, was yet to play his first match for the side.
Defending champions Dhaka Dynamites retained pacer Mohammad Shahid but he was hardly seen in the Dhaka phase as he got only one chance to play out of six matches the star-studded team played at home.
National team pacer Kamrul Islam Rabbi was not selected for any match of Sylhet Sixers in the Dhaka phase after his disappointing show in his only opportunity against Rajshahi Kings in Sylhet where he conceded 1-54, the worst bowling figure so far in this season.
Playing for the same team, Shuvagata Hom was included in the playing eleven only once in the Dhaka phase after playing two matches in Sylhet but he could not perform up to a satisfactory level of his team either with bat or ball.
Former chief selector of the national team and Sylhet Sixers manager Faruk Ahmed pointed out that playing with five foreign players and the lack of performances were the main reasons behind their lack of opportunities.
‘The first and main reason, teams are playing with five foreign players. And the second reason was those who got the opportunities they could not deliver for the respective side which left them in the bench,’ he told New Age.
The former national team skipper also urged the cricket authorities to reconsider the provision of five foreign players, which came as a hindrance for local players.
‘I really want to see more local players to emerge. The main purpose of the BPL is to improve our players in all the formats of the game at the same pace. If we only watch the foreign players to play in these matches there will be no further development for us,’ he added.
Source: New Age.
