2020-21 Bangladesh domestic cricket

Still up in the air due to COVID, but starts this Sunday with the ad-hoc BCB President's Cup. A 50-overs competition featuring just 3 teams comprising national team players (minus Shakib who is still banned), HP team (essentially our A team now), and 8 of the Under-19 World champions. 45 total players. Tamim, Mahmudullah, and Najmul Hossain Shanto being named the captains.

Each team plays the other twice before the final on October 23, which is planned to be televised (all other games being live-streamed only). All matches to be played in a bio-secure bubble in Mirpur, Dhaka.

Squads

Mahmudullah XI: Mahmudullah (capt), Mohammad Naim, Liton Das (wk), Mominul Haque, Mahmudul Hasan, Nurul Hasan (wk), Sabbir Rahman, Imrul Kayes, Hasan Mahmud, Ebadat Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Mrittunjoy Chowdhury, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rakibul Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob

Najmul XI: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Afif Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Towhid Hridoy, Irfan Sukkur (wk), Parvez Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain, Abu Jayed, Mukidul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Rishad Hossain

Tamim XI: Tamim Iqbal (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Mosaddek Hossain, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Shahadat Hossain, Yasir Ali, Akbar Ali (wk), Anamul Haque (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Khaled Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mahedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Minhajul Abedin Afridi

Very balanced sides with no one side looking a favorite to win. The Mahmudullah team has explosive openers in Naim and Liton and Test captain Mominul will want to prove he can bat in white ball cricket too. The Najmul XI looks the most balanced top to bottom with the most bases covered. Finally the Tamim side looks to have the strongest batting lineup and a solid bowling lineup as well.

More details on my podcast: https://aewahid.podbean.com/e/the-crick ... ode-2020_7

The matches will be lived streamed here, for anyone curious about the domestic depth:

https://www.facebook.com/bcbtigercricket

Team Mahmudullah vs Team Najmul today! Hope to see the leg spinner Rishad.

The matches will be lived streamed here, for anyone curious about the domestic depth:

https://www.facebook.com/bcbtigercricket

Team Mahmudullah vs Team Najmul today! Hope to see the leg spinner Rishad.

Looks like the stream is on youtube and not on facebook:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbhQi1i ... FBpmb-0tnM

Looks like the stream is on youtube and not on facebook:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbhQi1i ... FBpmb-0tnM

facebook stream is now up...35K viewers so far.

Team Mahmudullah already lost 3 wickets. Liton, Naim, and Mominul (0) all out cheaply.

facebook stream is now up...35K viewers so far.

Team Mahmudullah already lost 3 wickets. Liton, Naim, and Mominul (0) all out cheaply.

Taskin got the best bowler award of 25K Taka for his figures of 2 for 37. Ebadat also bowled well to take 3 for 46 including the big scalp of Mushfiqur Rahim. Also had an absolute jaffa to get Saif Hassan. Overall the batsmen looked rusty I would say. Sub 200 scores in this era on a good batting surface indicate a lot of work to be done.

But kudos to BCB for getting such a good quality stream up. 8 cameras, instant replay, and surprisingly high quality commentary (exclusively in Bengali language). At one stage there were 43K viewers on the facebook stream. Good numbers for a domestic match I think.

Taskin got the best bowler award of 25K Taka for his figures of 2 for 37. Ebadat also bowled well to take 3 for 46 including the big scalp of Mushfiqur Rahim. Also had an absolute jaffa to get Saif Hassan. Overall the batsmen looked rusty I would say. Sub 200 scores in this era on a good batting surface indicate a lot of work to be done.

But kudos to BCB for getting such a good quality stream up. 8 cameras, instant replay, and surprisingly high quality commentary (exclusively in Bengali language). At one stage there were 43K viewers on the facebook stream. Good numbers for a domestic match I think.

2nd match completed.

Team Mahmudullah bounces back from their defeat against Team Najmul to beat Team Tamim. Atrocious batting so far in the tournament. Team Tamim was bowled out for 104 and Team Mahmudullah lost 5 wickets chasing it.

The bowlers have done OK so far. Seamers taking most of the wickets. Many of the batsmen have been bowled off the inside edge.

Hopefully the batsman improve as the tournament goes on and they gradually get back into rhythm.

2nd match completed.

Team Mahmudullah bounces back from their defeat against Team Najmul to beat Team Tamim. Atrocious batting so far in the tournament. Team Tamim was bowled out for 104 and Team Mahmudullah lost 5 wickets chasing it.

The bowlers have done OK so far. Seamers taking most of the wickets. Many of the batsmen have been bowled off the inside edge.

Hopefully the batsman improve as the tournament goes on and they gradually get back into rhythm.

Just one game remains in the group stage before the final.

The batting has been dismal overall. Mushfiq and Riyad have done OK, with young Afif Hossain also getting a score. The rest have been subpar with Mosaddek averaging 19 batting at 6 or 7, so you can't really blame him (though his strike rate should be higher than 62 that low down the order). Liton and Soumya barely averaging double digits with neither averaging more than 12. Mohammad Mithun, the chief hack, leads the way with 6 runs from 3 innings batting at #4, lmao. Don't know what the selectors see in that inept hack to keep selecting him in all formats over more talented youngsters.

The bowlers have down well partly due to s***ty batting. In particular the seamers have all been amongst the wickets for some reason. Rubel, Fizz, and Al Amin lead the way with specatuclar averages. Ebadat blew hot and cold, and Khaled Ahmed held up an end in the only chance he got. Relatively unknown quicks Sumon Khan and Mukidul Islam also picked wickets in the chances they got.

The young spinners also did quite well. Rakibul Hasan the next big SLA was tight without taking too many wickets, as was off spinenr Nayeem Hasan and teenage leggie Rishad Ahmed.

Just one game remains in the group stage before the final.

The batting has been dismal overall. Mushfiq and Riyad have done OK, with young Afif Hossain also getting a score. The rest have been subpar with Mosaddek averaging 19 batting at 6 or 7, so you can't really blame him (though his strike rate should be higher than 62 that low down the order). Liton and Soumya barely averaging double digits with neither averaging more than 12. Mohammad Mithun, the chief hack, leads the way with 6 runs from 3 innings batting at #4, lmao. Don't know what the selectors see in that inept hack to keep selecting him in all formats over more talented youngsters.

The bowlers have down well partly due to s***ty batting. In particular the seamers have all been amongst the wickets for some reason. Rubel, Fizz, and Al Amin lead the way with specatuclar averages. Ebadat blew hot and cold, and Khaled Ahmed held up an end in the only chance he got. Relatively unknown quicks Sumon Khan and Mukidul Islam also picked wickets in the chances they got.

The young spinners also did quite well. Rakibul Hasan the next big SLA was tight without taking too many wickets, as was off spinenr Nayeem Hasan and teenage leggie Rishad Ahmed.

A 5 team T20 tournament is set to begin in a few days time.

The tournament will mark the debut of Bangladesh's first full time sports channel apparently. 2020 and we're just now getting a sports channel. I just hope it will be available in the US.

A 5 team T20 tournament is set to begin in a few days time.

The tournament will mark the debut of Bangladesh's first full time sports channel apparently. 2020 and we're just now getting a sports channel. I just hope it will be available in the US.

Not a bad tournament so far. Far better IMO than the BPL both in terms of presentation/broadcast quality, lack of ridiculous attempt at pomp, and most importantly the quality of cricket. I'm not even a fan of T20 but I hope this Bangabandhu T20 becomes a permanent fixture every year.

Not a bad tournament so far. Far better IMO than the BPL both in terms of presentation/broadcast quality, lack of ridiculous attempt at pomp, and most importantly the quality of cricket. I'm not even a fan of T20 but I hope this Bangabandhu T20 becomes a permanent fixture every year.

Bangabandhu T20 group stage is over and the playoffs begin tonight (US time). What a tournament! So much better than the BPL snoozefest. Final group stage standings:

Chattogram 7-1

Khulna 4-4

Dhaka 4-4

Barishal 3-5

Rajshahi 2-6

Rajshahi lost 6 games on the trot, and when they lost to Chattogram by a single run it looked like those two were clearly the best teams in the league. Poor bowling cost Rajshahi in the end. Rajshahi had just 1 bowler in the top 18 wicket takers, and his economy rate was well over 9 an over. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was exemplary and his partner Anisul Islam Emon was very decent, but the batting couldn't cope with the toothless bowling.

Top 5 Run Getters:

Liton Das - 306, 125 strike rate

Tamim Iqbal - 302, 119 strike rate

Najmul Hossain Shanto - 301, 157 strike rate

Soumya Sarker - 253, 128 strike rate

Mohammad Naim - 243, 140 strike rate

Shanto and Naim were kind of on the fringe, but with Shanto getting named as a captain in every tournament, its clear the BCB has him in their plans. Thus, their performances were extremely satisfying. Shanto in particular scored 2 fifties, and 1 lightening quick hundred to demonstrate remarkable consistency in this format. Along with Naim, they showed off their ability to hit clean sixes, especially off the slower bowlers.

Top 5 Strike Rate (min 100 balls faced):

Najmul Hossain Shanto - 157

Akbar Ali - 145

Nurul Hasan - 142

Mohammad Naim - 140

Parvez Hossain Emon - 138

Shanto not only leading the way, but with daylight behind him. Pity he didn't get much support. Also hit the first of just 3 centuries in the league phase. His hitting was almost always clean, came from orthodox cricket shots, and usually cleared the ropes with plenty of distance to spare. Two wicket-keepers came next, getting quick runs down the order, before two more top order batsmen round out the top 5. Interesting to note that Liton and Soumya didn't make this list, and neither were close.

Top 5 Wickets

Mustafizur Rahman - 16

Kamrul Islam Rabbi - 14

Shohidul Islam - 13

Muktar Ali - 13

Robiul Islam Robi - 12

Fizz doing it all, a leader in both wickets and economy rate. The seam bowlers (4 out of the top 5) dominated the wickets table. 6 of the top 7 wicket takers were seam bowlers, unheard of proportions for a Bangladeshi domestic league! The quality of pace bowling certainly did seem to be a bit higher than previous generations. Whilst Taskin and Ebadat were the only bowlers hitting 140 in every spell (and going for plenty), Shoriful and Mukidul were getting into the high 130s.

Top 5 Economy rate (minimum 20 overs bowled):

Shakib al Hasan - 5.73

Mustafizur Rahman - 5.74

Mosaddek Hossain - 6.00

Nahidul Islam - 6.03

Nasum Ahmed - 6.50

Not surprising to see spin dominate here. Shakib wasn't amongst the wickets, but he kept things tidy. Mosaddek did well as he usually does for a guy who is actually a specialist batsman.

Top U-19 Performers:

Parvez Hossain Emon - 238 runs, 138 strike rate

Akbar Ali - 148 runs, 145 strike rate

Towhid Hridhoy - 182 runs, 122 strike rate

Shoriful Islam - 12 wickets, 7.96 econ

This was the World Cup winning class, and it was heartening to see 4 of them outperform many of the senior players like Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, amongst others. Former captain Akbar averaged over 40, with a terrific strike rate, and both Towhid and Shoriful showed flashes of brilliance as did Emon as well. It was disappointing not to see Tamim Jr on this list as he barely scored a run in the 4 games that he played. Mahmudul Hasan Joy would have also made this list, but he only played half the group stage due to a positive COVID test early on.

Top 5 disappointments:

Mosaddek Hossain - 110 runs, 118 strike rate

Tanzid Hasan Tamim - 48 runs, 104 strike rate

Anamul Haque - 41 runs, 100 strike rate

Ebadat Hossain - 3 wickets, 9.00 econ

Taskin Ahmed - 6 wickets, 8.85 econ

Mosaddek continues to be batted too low down the order by management in all formats and all competitions. In that light, an average of 22 isn't that bad given he only faced 93 balls in 8 innings, but his strike rate should have been closer to 140. Towhid is a much younger player who also got limited opps down the order and he did very well. Anamul Haque is a domestic stalwart, and should be disappointed with his return. Ebadat and Taskin too will do well to think about their bowling as that is not what you'd expect from the two fastest men in the country.

Special Mention Player

Mohammad Mithun - 77 runs, 105 strike rate

Captain of the table toppers, should his team win the Cup as is highly likely, Mithun may very well be rewarded with the captaincy of the national team in all formats for life. Why not? An average of 12.83 and a ridiculous strike rate of 105 is just too good from anyone, much less a young 29 year old who only started playing professional cricket a mere 10 short years ago. India has Kohli, Pakistan has Babar, and Bangladesh has Mithun!

Bangabandhu T20 group stage is over and the playoffs begin tonight (US time). What a tournament! So much better than the BPL snoozefest. Final group stage standings:

Chattogram 7-1

Khulna 4-4

Dhaka 4-4

Barishal 3-5

Rajshahi 2-6

Rajshahi lost 6 games on the trot, and when they lost to Chattogram by a single run it looked like those two were clearly the best teams in the league. Poor bowling cost Rajshahi in the end. Rajshahi had just 1 bowler in the top 18 wicket takers, and his economy rate was well over 9 an over. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was exemplary and his partner Anisul Islam Emon was very decent, but the batting couldn't cope with the toothless bowling.

Top 5 Run Getters:

Liton Das - 306, 125 strike rate

Tamim Iqbal - 302, 119 strike rate

Najmul Hossain Shanto - 301, 157 strike rate

Soumya Sarker - 253, 128 strike rate

Mohammad Naim - 243, 140 strike rate

Shanto and Naim were kind of on the fringe, but with Shanto getting named as a captain in every tournament, its clear the BCB has him in their plans. Thus, their performances were extremely satisfying. Shanto in particular scored 2 fifties, and 1 lightening quick hundred to demonstrate remarkable consistency in this format. Along with Naim, they showed off their ability to hit clean sixes, especially off the slower bowlers.

Top 5 Strike Rate (min 100 balls faced):

Najmul Hossain Shanto - 157

Akbar Ali - 145

Nurul Hasan - 142

Mohammad Naim - 140

Parvez Hossain Emon - 138

Shanto not only leading the way, but with daylight behind him. Pity he didn't get much support. Also hit the first of just 3 centuries in the league phase. His hitting was almost always clean, came from orthodox cricket shots, and usually cleared the ropes with plenty of distance to spare. Two wicket-keepers came next, getting quick runs down the order, before two more top order batsmen round out the top 5. Interesting to note that Liton and Soumya didn't make this list, and neither were close.

Top 5 Wickets

Mustafizur Rahman - 16

Kamrul Islam Rabbi - 14

Shohidul Islam - 13

Muktar Ali - 13

Robiul Islam Robi - 12

Fizz doing it all, a leader in both wickets and economy rate. The seam bowlers (4 out of the top 5) dominated the wickets table. 6 of the top 7 wicket takers were seam bowlers, unheard of proportions for a Bangladeshi domestic league! The quality of pace bowling certainly did seem to be a bit higher than previous generations. Whilst Taskin and Ebadat were the only bowlers hitting 140 in every spell (and going for plenty), Shoriful and Mukidul were getting into the high 130s.

Top 5 Economy rate (minimum 20 overs bowled):

Shakib al Hasan - 5.73

Mustafizur Rahman - 5.74

Mosaddek Hossain - 6.00

Nahidul Islam - 6.03

Nasum Ahmed - 6.50

Not surprising to see spin dominate here. Shakib wasn't amongst the wickets, but he kept things tidy. Mosaddek did well as he usually does for a guy who is actually a specialist batsman.

Top U-19 Performers:

Parvez Hossain Emon - 238 runs, 138 strike rate

Akbar Ali - 148 runs, 145 strike rate

Towhid Hridhoy - 182 runs, 122 strike rate

Shoriful Islam - 12 wickets, 7.96 econ

This was the World Cup winning class, and it was heartening to see 4 of them outperform many of the senior players like Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, amongst others. Former captain Akbar averaged over 40, with a terrific strike rate, and both Towhid and Shoriful showed flashes of brilliance as did Emon as well. It was disappointing not to see Tamim Jr on this list as he barely scored a run in the 4 games that he played. Mahmudul Hasan Joy would have also made this list, but he only played half the group stage due to a positive COVID test early on.

Top 5 disappointments:

Mosaddek Hossain - 110 runs, 118 strike rate

Tanzid Hasan Tamim - 48 runs, 104 strike rate

Anamul Haque - 41 runs, 100 strike rate

Ebadat Hossain - 3 wickets, 9.00 econ

Taskin Ahmed - 6 wickets, 8.85 econ

Mosaddek continues to be batted too low down the order by management in all formats and all competitions. In that light, an average of 22 isn't that bad given he only faced 93 balls in 8 innings, but his strike rate should have been closer to 140. Towhid is a much younger player who also got limited opps down the order and he did very well. Anamul Haque is a domestic stalwart, and should be disappointed with his return. Ebadat and Taskin too will do well to think about their bowling as that is not what you'd expect from the two fastest men in the country.

Special Mention Player

Mohammad Mithun - 77 runs, 105 strike rate

Captain of the table toppers, should his team win the Cup as is highly likely, Mithun may very well be rewarded with the captaincy of the national team in all formats for life. Why not? An average of 12.83 and a ridiculous strike rate of 105 is just too good from anyone, much less a young 29 year old who only started playing professional cricket a mere 10 short years ago. India has Kohli, Pakistan has Babar, and Bangladesh has Mithun!