Will Sylhet’s Batters See Spring Again with the Hands of the New Youngsters?

The saying, "A new child has arrived, and space must be made for them," seems to have been followed by Alok Kapali. To create space for the rising cricketers of Sylhet, he himself decided to bid farewell to first-class cricket. On the day of his retirement, he wrote on Facebook, "I believe that more opportunities should be given to young cricketers to play first-class cricket. I have decided to retire from first-class cricket to allow young players to step up to the highest level." He also mentioned that he would be spending more time with his family.

Three years have passed since Alok's retirement, and Sylhet is playing in the National Cricket League for the third time in this period. In these three years, Sylhet's team has seen the appearance of new players, and alongside the local young cricketers of Sylhet, the team has also seen an increase in players from outside the region.

Sylhet played its first National Cricket League season after Alok's retirement in 2022. In that year, a combination of both young and experienced players helped to introduce Naeem Ahmed and Abu Bakkar Junior. However, Naeem played only one match and Bakkar played two matches that year. To compensate for Alok Kapali's absence and to bring in more experience in Sylhet's dressing room, both Naeem and Bakkar were joined by Al Amin Junior in the squad.

Afterward, Naeem continued to play for Sylhet, but Bakkar's first-class career ended with those two matches. After completing his HSC, Bakkar moved abroad and decided to stay there permanently.

In 2023, two more youngsters made their debut, and that year, Mizanur Rahman Sayem, who had been with the Sylhet team for a long time, got his chance to play. Despite playing three matches for Sylhet after his debut, Sayem failed to make a significant impact. As a result, he did not make it to the playing XI in the first three matches of the current season.

Along with Sayem, wicketkeeper-batter Towhidul Islam Ferdous also made his debut that year. In his debut match, he formed a crucial 180-run partnership with Shamsur Rahman Shuvo (160) and played a patient innings of 63 from 203 balls. However, Ferdous did not make it to the XI in the last three matches of the season. While Ferdous made his debut, Ashraful Hasan Rihad's debut is still awaited.

Sylhet's young players are struggling to make their mark. One or two poor performances and they find themselves dropped from the playing XI. On the other hand, with the absence of Zakir Hasan and Zakir Ali Anik, Sylhet has had to rely on outside batters. Last year, the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) provided Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, who scored over 400 runs for Sylhet, but this year he was unavailable. Instead, Pinak Ghosh and Maishukor Rahman Riel were brought in by the BCB.

In the first three matches, Pinak has shown promise with the bat, but Riel has been disappointing. In six innings across three matches, Riel scored just 39 runs, including two ducks.

Amidst this, two more local cricketers have made their debut for Sylhet in the National Cricket League this season: pace-bowling all-rounder Tofael Ahmed and batter Mubin Ahmed Dishan. Tofael has been impressive with the ball, but has yet to make a mark with the bat. Dishan, who played only two matches, had an impressive start in his debut match but was dismissed without scoring in the second innings. In the second match, he had a strong start with 14 runs in one over but had to leave the field due to a shoulder injury. He later returned to play and scored 25 runs before being dismissed. In his most recent match, he scored 43 runs.

The constant fluctuation in Sylhet's team raises the question: “Are Alok’s young players really playing for Sylhet?”

What does Alok himself think about this? In response, he said, "The year I played my last match, Ferdous and Rihad were in the team, but they weren't getting a chance to debut. In the final match of the season, I was dropped to give them the opportunity, but I wasn’t in favor of playing them in the last match of the season. I always believed that a new player should be given at least two matches to prove themselves. I had told Rajin Bhai (Rajin Saleh) and Nazmul (Nazmul Hossain) that if we gave them a chance in the last match and they performed poorly, it would haunt them for the entire year. One bad performance could affect their careers, and they would have to wait another year to play again."

Alok further explained that he had to consider the team’s future, with Sylhet fighting to stay in the top tier of the National Cricket League. "At that time, we needed all our senior players to ensure we didn’t lose the match. As the senior players, we had to take the responsibility."

Reflecting on his decision to retire, Alok said he left with the hope that the team management would now plan around the younger players. "After my retirement, they will get their chance, but they must seize it."

When asked whether his decision to retire was solely about the two young players, Alok mentioned that it wasn’t just about Ferdous and Rihad. He also pointed out other rising players like Tofael and Mubin Dishan, highlighting that every year new performers are emerging. He added, "I feel that the young players now need to perform consistently. The reality is that good performances matter. If the local players perform, they’ll get more opportunities."

Alok also expressed his concern about Sylhet’s current lack of batting talent. “We need to produce more top-order batters,” he emphasized. He pointed out the example of Asadullah Al Galib, who has been playing for a long time but has yet to score a century. Alok urged the younger players to aim for big innings like the previous generation did.

Alok also raised questions about the BCB’s decision to bring in players from outside Sylhet. "If our local players had performed better, they wouldn't have had to rely on outsiders. When we were playing, we didn't need to bring in players from other teams." He further clarified, however, that this wasn’t to say that the external players were of poor quality, referencing Maishukor Rahman Riel’s past performances.

Reflecting on Sylhet’s development, Alok believes that good players can only be produced if they have the right conditions. "To develop batters, you need to give them good wickets to play on," he said. He added that local academies need to provide better facilities for young players to train and play on quality wickets.

Alok’s overall message was clear: Sylhet’s cricketers need to take responsibility for their performances. Only by performing well, especially in crucial matches, can they ensure that more local players get the opportunities they deserve.