When you read a squad of 25 for a T20 tournament, you expect a who’s who of red-hot form and future stars. If you were expecting a similar tickle from Bangladesh’s preliminary Asia Cup squad to the one in white-ball form right now, you’re going to have to look harder than you look in your playlists before you realize you’ve stuck with the same songs since 2020. The selection of players in this squad hasn’t only highlighted an eyebrow raiser, it has also illuminated the talent pipeline that is oh-so painfully shallow. So what’s the deal with Bangladesh cricket?
The Return of the Usual Suspects
Be honest—if you are among the many cricket fans who’ve been following Bangladesh cricket over the last few years, this team looks familiar. Mohammad Naim, Saifuddin, Soumya Sarkar, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and even the previously discarded Nurul Hasan Sohan and Saif Hassan are back in the fold. Individually, none of these re-emergences set off the alarm bells; however, the trend is undeniable.
You could look at Naim as an example. He was dropped in 2022 for a lack of impactful innings, but after he had some decent domestic form, he came back to the T20I team and again looked underwhelming against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Soumya is always good for a few cameos, but he is allergic to consistency. And Shanto–who was dropped only one series ago–is back in consideration.
The BPL Isn’t Producing What It Promised
You remember when the Bangladesh Premier League was supposed to be our IPL–a minefield of talent? Yeah, that doesn’t seem to have worked out too well.
The BPL has very much focused on providing a platform for familiar names to stat-pad rather than a spotlight for rising stars. Everything is dependent on a critical mass of these rising stars striving to outdo the veterans. There are notable exceptions, of course, but not enough to create a full squad of intriguing, unexplored talent. The vet roster has continued to be populated with the same batch of underachieving face-rolls, as opposed to employing competitive clarity of opportunity.
And if the BPL isn’t creating emerging players, what other platform is available? Domestic cricket is still often ignored, marketed poorly, and remains subjective, yet it is still poorly consumed. It is hard to break through, however talented, without visibility or investment.
Is This a Selection Strategy—or Just Survival Mode?
One could argue that the selectors may prefer experience ahead of a big tournament. I understand that. However, there is a line between belief and requirement, particularly if some of the players on the team have already had numerous opportunities to demonstrate their potential, yet failed to do so. It then raises the question: are we selecting the team based on ability or who was available?
The current selection policy appears to be more defensive than proactive. There also appears to be no real intent or coherence to the team; it just appears to be a related merry-go-round; drop a player today, pick him tomorrow. We are not trying to build a team; it is more of a roulette wheel..
Bangladesh’s 25-man Asia Cup squad isn’t merely a squad; it’s also a symptom. It’s the by-product of a cricket system that can’t seem to regenerate itself, and when the same names are appearing over and over again, not because they’ve significantly improved, but because no one else is available, you have to start asking difficult questions.
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