BCB’s forward plan shadowy for fresh WTC cycle

Following ICC World Cup debacle, the spotlight shifts to Test cricket for Bangladesh as they kick off the third cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) with a two-match Test series against New Zealand, beginning November 28 in Sylhet.

Bangladesh dwelled at the bottom of the table in the two WTC cycles that preceded, and it appears the Tigers are likely to encounter significant obstacles in the coming season as well -- for they have to host South Africa and Sri Lanka and travel to India, Pakistan and West Indies, with the latter tour could likely be the least difficult assignment.

Without some proven members and on the back of a last-moment change in captaincy, handed to 25-year-old Najmul Hossain Shanto, the hosts may not enjoy the home advantage against the Kiwis, according to esteemed coach Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.

"It's not that we weren't doing well in the past, but the stability that we had in the past is no longer there. We had been unable to prepare new players, and existing ones are currently unavailable. So, it'll be challenging and frightening," Fahim told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Look, the New Zealand spinners are better than us. Moreover, they're coming prepared in terms of batting and they're strong in both the spin and pace departments, so we don't have the home advantage.

"Things are going against us, so it's unlikely that we'll suddenly start faring well in Test cricket, but what we can do now is revamp the domestic circuit's longer formats."

A momentous triumph against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui, led by Mominul Haque, in the preceding WTC cycle was billed as a watershed moment in Bangladesh's Test cricket, but things did not unfold as planned due to a lack of long-term planning.

While creating good wickets at home has emerged as the need of the hour, however, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also been unable to focus on improving competitiveness in domestic events, which has impacted the mentality of the cricketers.

The veteran coach continued, "Obviously, preparing a good wicket is a factor. But if we talk about team selection, management, umpiring, overall supervision, monitoring and, most importantly, the competitiveness factor, it's absent.

"Our first-class matches are similar to trial matches in that the players go out with the expectation that if they score runs or pick wickets, they will be selected for the national team. When players perform for the national team, they aim to win matches for the team, and this should be the case in domestic cricket as well, but it isn't."

"At times, even if you play for the team and bowl economically but remain wicketless, that player may feel he will not be noticed, so you start thinking about your personal interests rather than the team's interests. So, the lack of emotional attachment keeps the gap between domestic and international cricket wide open," he explained.

It will be critical for the relevant authorities to set in motion a long-term plan and have the guts to accept failure to begin with, or else the board's typical hand-to-mouth approach would only keep stunting the growth of the country's most followed sport.