Progress, but not for locals

There is not much else to say about Chris Gayle when it comes to talking about how special the West Indian is in T20 cricket. And the same applies to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's leadership qualities as well as his ability as a bowler. However his admirers also wept due to the wastage of his batting calibre, which was on full display as the Rangpur Riders skipper's scintillating hard-hitting displays led his team to wins in a few crucial matches and set the platform for Gayle to do the rest in the just-concluded fifth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

It also came as no surprise that star all-rounder and Dhaka Dynamites captain Shakib Al Hasan finished as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps.

But what about the rest of the local players?

Despite the chaos in the second Qualifier and the controversy over the Mirpur wickets, the BPL made good progress with the presence of a number of quality foreign players. But in the end we need to know whether out players have moved forward in the shortest format of the game.

The entertainment value of the tournament will not be enough when the selectors try to spot suitable T20 cricketers who can make a mark in the shortest format on the international stage.

Zakir Hasan, Ariful Haque, Abu Jayed, Nazmul Islam, Qazi Onik and Afif Hossain made headlines on a few occasions during the month-long journey but as selector Habibul Bashar said, there is nobody who can be singled out as a new find from the tournament.

Moreover the performance of three icon players in Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar was frustrating.

Apart from Mashrafe and Shakib, the way Tamim Iqbal and Mahmudullah Riyad led their teams from the front was an encouraging sign for Bangladesh cricket, but the local players' overall performance left the same old problem; we still lack a player with the ability to change a game single-handedly.

"The performance of Mushy [Mushfiqur Rahim], Sabbir and Soumya was really frustrating. The presence of quality foreign players had increased the competitiveness but our players could not take the opportunity. Actually power-hitting is still a problem in our cricket. We are capable of hitting boundaries but not sixes. We lack game-changers," opined Bashar.

Mohammad Salahuddin, coach of semifinalists Comilla Victorians, believed that the increasing the foreign players' quota denied the local players of chances to hone their skills.

"The presence of renowned T20 specialists from all over the world, the inclusion of Sylhet as new venue, good wickets except for a few matches in Mirpur and good arrangements helped the tournament make good progress. But I must say the five foreign players' quota deprived our local players and it will ultimately hinder our progress in this format. I think four foreign players will be good," Salahuddin said.

While Bashar was also in favour of having four foreigners, he was not ready to blame the quota for the local players' poor showings. And Salahuddin also conceded that local players did lack the hard-hitting ability.

"Our players have the technique, but I felt that you need some power-hitting. You know I also realised that I needed to add something to my coaching manual to guide the players in T20 cricket," Salahuddin said.

Former chief selector Faruque Ahmed echoed Bashar and Salahuddin's sentiments.

"It's really encouraging that a record number of foreign players took part in the competition. The introduction of Sylhet as new venue was fantastic. As far as I know there was no problem with the financial deals. Overall the standard of the tournament has improved, but if we want to be equal to the Indian Premier League and [Australia's] Big Bash League then the BCB and BPL governing council must limit the foreign players' quota to four and stop unlimited registration of foreign players," observed Faruque.

"Yes, our players are still trying to improve in this format and I am sure they will get their feet after the next two tournaments but we cannot limit their chances in a local tournament. I think it's a good idea if another local T20 tournament could be arranged for them," he concluded.