Franchise leagues helping Taskin and Co face ‘different pressure’

Taskin Ahmed's short stint in the Zim Afro T10 league was tremendous -- the pacer ended up among the highest wicket-takers with 11 scalps from seven games maintaining a very impressive economy rate.

Taskin had to use variations that he perhaps did not think of previously and those are the kind of experiences that can take someone's cricket to a new level and help them gather much-required nous of the global level.

Having had to skip so many franchise league opportunities, it was no surprise that playing in the Zim Afro T10 league felt very special to Taskin.

"Playing in a franchise-based league for the first time was a great experience. There is a different pressure in franchise cricket and I feel playing these types of leagues gives a very good experience. Also, being able to play them when the opportunity arises is a good thing," Taskin told The Daily Star yesterday.

Franchise leagues pit players of different calibre against each other, requiring everyone to come up with different approaches. And Taskin only wants to keep on improving in this regard.

"I want to keep my improvement curve upward. Giving my best and trying smartly is what is in my control," Taskin was hopeful of further improvement.

Taskin's spells in the T10 on flat wickets showed the level of adjustments that even faster bowlers need to make in a batter-dominated format. With a bowler only allowed to bowl two overs, the challenge is steep, and taking on such challenges was important ahead of the ODI World Cup in India where such flat pitches are expected to be awaiting.

"Batters' intent in T10 cricket is very high and it is not easy to bowl economically. I was focusing on execution. It was a great experience, it doesn't matter whether the format is Test or T10.

"It's difficult to hit good deliveries and when you can execute according to your strengths that's always the best thing. The tournament went very well but there are big tournaments coming ahead for me and I will try to do well. Process-wise, my work now is to do the hard work off the field and practice the right way before giving my best on the field," Taskin, who bowled at an economy of 7.85 -- the lowest among the top 20 wicket takers -- said about the challenges he faced.

Tawhid Hridoy's case is similar to Taskin's as he kept his international exploits going in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL).

Hridoy managed 141 runs -- third-highest in the LPL top scorers' list -- at an average of 47 in four games, that too on pitches where deliveries do not come easily to the bat. Despite conditions in Sri Lanka making it difficult for batters to time their shots, vastly experienced Shakib Al Hasan bore the brunt of fellow Hridoy's aggression when the youngster struck an unbeaten 44 off 23 against Galle Titans.

The other player who played in the Zim Afro T10 League, Mushfiqur Rahim, scored 126, averaging the same, as he always batted till the end in T10 league.

Shakib, meanwhile, is the sixth-highest wicket-taker in LPL, gathering further experience ahead of the Asia Cup.

On the other hand, Liton Das' maiden stint in the GT20 Canada did not go according to plan as he scored only 143 runs in eight matches but it could go a long way to toughening him up for the opportunities that might appear in the future.

Considering how players from Bangladesh are currently doing in different franchise-based leagues, it is now up to the Bangladesh Cricket Board to facilitate such opportunities when they do arrive. Contrary to the notion that playing in foreign leagues would somehow negatively affect the players' performance in the national team, players can actually return to the national team with more confidence, knowledge, and with an expanded set of skills gained from playing in different formats and conditions.