"10,000 runs and 500 wickets; it's no joke."

Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza thus rightly recognised the monumental achievements of Tushar Imran and Abdur Razzak while responding to a question regarding the country's two ageless cricketers' recent feats in first-class cricket.

He also ensured that the two heroes were receiving congratulations and their due respect from the players and also reminded the media that it is as important to focus on the dedication of players like Tushar and Razzak in the domestic circuit as it is to report on what Shakib-Tamim-Mashrafe-Mushfiqur are saying.

It was nice to hear from the country's most loved cricketer that the players have congratulated the two cricketers and have discussed their achievements. While it is true that more can be done to keep domestic cricket in focus, one cannot say that the media have neglected it in the face of all the international engagements; they have instead tried to cover domestic achievements with utmost sincerity. However, the manner in which the Bangladesh Cricket Board failed to appreciate or even remark on the milestone publicly is unfortunate.

Would it not have been a source of great encouragement if the two players received crests for their achievement, if not financial rewards, from the board?

It could have been an occasion for the board to show that they are not just busy with international cricket, but place equal importance to the domestic circuit especially as there has been a criticism that it only matters to the board when it relates to international cricket.

Most importantly, to develop a rich cricket culture in the country we should make sure that such achievements will not go unnoticed and for that to happen, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) must change their mindset.     

The other vital question that emerges from this is whether the monumental achievements of scoring 10,000 runs and taking 500 wickets will catch the attention of the selectors.

"I must say it's a big achievement to score 10,000 runs and take 500 wickets. Bringing them back into the national team is not the only way to show them respect. We can glorify our first-class cricket in different ways and we can recognise their feats in many ways," said chief selector Minhajul Abedin yesterday.

"But you all know there are some issues we need to consider when picking a player for the national team. We have to go into details about the conditions or how many overs a bowler has bowled to be successful before considering him for the national side. At this moment, Razzak has little chance as we have a number of good options but we can think about Tushar, but then again Mushy (Mushfiqur Rahim) is now batting at that position in the national side. Actually if we have an A team which plays regularly then it is helpful for these kinds of player. But still, we may try Tushar," he added.  

Interestingly, many say that it is not that hard to score runs in Bangladeshi first-class cricket, but if you ask recent national discard Soumya Sarker or other young players they will definitely give you some different notes.

Looking down upon and neglecting first-class cricket has become the fashion in Bangladesh cricket's corridors of power, but they will do well to remember that demeaning first-class cricket means demeaning the whole cricket culture.