Standard of pitches needs to improve in BPL: Babar

Rangpur Rider batter Babar Azam acknowledged the substandard nature of the wickets offered in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and said that it needs improving to elevate the standard of the tournament. 

The 10th edition of the BPL was expected to ramp up preparation for the Bangladesh side ahead of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup later this year but the lack of competitive matches has remained the primary feature of the tournament halfway into its fixtures.

Babar is the second-highest run-getter of the tournament so far with 209 runs in five matches, 25 behind Fortune Barishal's Mushfiqur Rahim. Before leaving Rangpur Riders to join the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the 28-year-old pointed out that the standard of the pitches needed improving. 

"The wickets behave differently in day and night games as there is no consistent bounce on the surfaces. At times, there's no spin and sometimes it gets slow and low. I think the BPL needs to improve in terms of wickets," Babar told the media on Monday.

Batters have found it difficult to score freely and the number of low-scoring affairs have dulled the excitement of the T20 tournament. This edition is yet to witness a 200-plus total and the Chattogram Challengers' 193 for 4 against Fortune Barishal remains the highest so far.

Babar's observations reflect the reality of the BPL as the ongoing edition of the tournament is also yet to witness an individual century from batters and to double that disappointing fact, fans are yet to see local players take leading roles with the bat.

The average first-innings total so far is 149.7 and this suggests the authorities have failed to deliver what they promised in terms of offering wickets that are suited for T20s.