Basket without base: NCL T20 reveals flaws again

Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu recently laid bare a harsh reality, admitting that he doesn't have enough quality players available and has to work with "what's in his basket".

The reason, as he rightly pointed out, lies in the lack of proper domestic competition. One cannot expect that basket to be filled adequately when only a handful of tournaments are organised just to complete the calendar.

Last year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) introduced the T20 version of the National Cricket League (NCL) for the first time, aiming to expose domestic players to competitive T20 cricket and help Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchises identify local talent.

As the tournament wrapped up its second edition on October 12 — with Rangpur Division clinching back-to-back titles — it's an opportune moment to assess whether the competition has lived up to its purpose.

Minor positives

The second edition, which began on September 14, was initially scheduled in Rajshahi and Bogura but had to be halted after just four matches -- three of which ended in no results -- due to persistent rain. After a 10-day break, play resumed in Sylhet, the venue of the inaugural edition.

Weather disruptions continued, with six of the scheduled 32 matches producing no result, four of them abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Amid all the interruptions, scoring rates showed slight improvement. The average total per innings increased from 155 to 157, and the run rate rose marginally from 7.75 to 7.86.

Financially, the tournament also made progress. Players' match fees were raised from Tk 25,000 to Tk 40,000, with increased daily allowances. The board also bore additional logistical expenses after shifting the venue on short notice.

But that's where the positives end.

Harsh negatives

The 2025 edition suffered from overused Sylhet pitches and untimely rain. During the final stages, the wickets deteriorated sharply — only one of the last eight matches saw teams post more than 150 runs.

"Sylhet is under too much pressure for domestic and international matches," Chattogram Division wicketkeeper-batter Irfan Sukkur told The Daily Star. "Early on, scores were good, but in the last 8–10 matches there were hardly any innings above 150. The wicket was an issue."

While both editions produced two centuries each, the number of half-centuries fell from 41 to 29. Boundaries also dropped noticeably — 596 fours and 309 sixes this year compared to 723 fours and 418 sixes last year.

As the competition wore on, spin bowling dominated more heavily. Four of the top five wicket-takers were spinners, whereas last year's list featured three pacers and two spinners.

"During the playoffs, I saw spinners bowl the first seven or eight overs. In international matches, you might see two at most. There was no reflection of that in the NCL," said chief selector Lipu.

"Batsmen didn't get the chance to face seamers. Captains may have focused on winning, but ultimately, what did we achieve from the tournament?" he questioned.

The congested schedule added further problems, wearing out pitches and hampering player recovery.

"Teams played almost every alternate day. Players didn't have time to recover or correct mistakes. The event should span at least a month," said Barishal Division head coach Mohammad Ashraful.

Far from destination

In cricket, change doesn't happen overnight. It would be unfair to expect the NCL T20 to meet all expectations in just two seasons. What's more important is to evaluate whether it's progressing in the right direction or if a course correction is needed.

From the looks of it, unless infrastructure improves, playing conditions are enhanced, and the tournament is better scheduled, the NCL T20 will continue to fall short of its goals.

"We put in a good effort, but it couldn't fulfil our expectations. Better infrastructure and drainage would have helped. Players also need to improve their fitness and preparation," said BCB tournament committee manager AEM Kawser.