Chill in the air and on the scorecards

The country has been experiencing a spell of cold weather over the past few days, and it appears to be leaving its mark on the Sylhet phase of the ongoing 12th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Although last year's BPL was marred by player payment and integrity concerns, it still produced plenty of high-scoring matches. This time, however, with just three matchdays completed, run-scoring appears to have somewhat dipped. Low totals were seen on the second matchday and again in yesterday afternoon's game between Rangpur Riders and Chattogram Royals.

"About the lack of runs, there was no sun coming out today if you look at the weather conditions. So it's difficult to score big runs," Chattogram mentor Habibul Bashar pointed to the weather as a major factor. 

"Deliveries were not keeping low; rather, it was seaming and swinging due to the conditions. The wicket is fine and with some sun, expect it to fare better in the coming days, although unfortunately, tomorrow [today] will possibly be a foggy day as well," he added.

There were still glimpses of the surface's trueness. When Chattogram opener Mohammad Naim hit Rangpur pacer Nahid Rana straight down the ground for six, it underlined that the pitch was not misbehaving. But Mustafizur Rahman soon dismissed Naim with a cutter after a 20-ball 39, and the rest of the Chattogram batting struggled against the testing lengths of Faheem Ashraf, who extracted seam and swing to claim a five-wicket haul.

Chattogram were bundled out for 102, and Rangpur cruised to a seven-wicket win following a solid opening stand between Litton Das and Dawid Malan.

The contrast with the opening day of the tournament was striking. Before temperatures dipped, Sylhet International Cricket Stadium witnessed two high-scoring games, the opener between Rajshahi Warriors and Sylhet Titans being the standout.

Parvez Hossain Emon adapted well to his new number-four role with a brisk fifty, guiding Sylhet to 190 for five. Rajshahi captain Najmul Hossain Shanto then became the tournament's first centurion and, with support from Mushfiqur Rahim's fifty, led his side to a convincing win.

The evening match on the same day also saw Chattogram post 174 for six before Noakhali collapsed to 109 in the chase.

On the very next day, however, Rajshahi could manage only 132 for eight against Dhaka Capitals on that same surface. Although Shanto and Mushfiqur both got starts, it was evident that the afternoon conditions were tougher. While dew had helped batters generate pace in the previous evening match, the ball held up more on the surface earlier in the day.

A BCB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, felt that the tight scheduling of games was also contributing to the low-scoring trend.

December 28 was a rest day, but across the three matchdays, Noakhali Express and Rajshahi played every day, while Chattogram and Sylhet featured twice each.

"In other franchise leagues, you don't get to play two matches in a row even at home, and here you are playing on the same wicket," the official said. "You have only 18 to 20 hours between matches, and players have to recover quickly, whether from a loss or a poor performance. That is difficult."

While it is still early in the tournament, the combination of cold conditions and closely scheduled fixtures is clearly adding to the challenge. It now remains to be seen whether improved weather -- the one variable that can realistically change -- will help bring big scores back to the BPL.