No Alternative to Regional Cricket Organizations for Cricket Development- Rajin Saleh

Since August 5, the winds of change have been sweeping across the country with the shift in power. This change first impacted Bangladesh cricket. Following the swearing-in of the interim government, the first change in the sports arena took place at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Under the leadership of the new president, Faruque Ahmed, BCB has taken several initiatives for cricket development. Among these, the inclusion of T20 matches alongside four-day matches in the National Cricket League is notable.

These changes have also affected the Sylhet divisional cricket team, although not drastically. The Sylhet team management has seen a shift after seven years, with Ali Wasikuzzaman Oni replacing Farhad Qureshi as the team manager. The experienced Rajin Saleh continues as the head coach.

For nearly 20 days, the duo of Rajin and Oni has been training players like Rahatul Ferdous Javed and Abu Jayed Rahi at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Their long training sessions are part of preparations for the 26th National Cricket League, starting on October 19. The Sylhet players are gearing up with determination for good performances in the league.

Despite the political shifts and new management, Sylhet still grapples with an old question: "How long will Sylhet rely on borrowed batters?"

Sylhet’s reliance on borrowed batters began when Rajin Saleh retired and intensified after Alok Kapali bid farewell to first-class cricket. This problem becomes more evident when national duties call up players like Jaker Ali Anik and Zakir Hasan, forcing Sylhet to borrow batters.

For the past four seasons, Sylhet has been borrowing batters, and this season is no different. Alongside Amit Hasan, who debuted in first-class cricket for Sylhet, Pinak Ghosh and Maishukur Rahman Real have joined the squad.

When asked how long Sylhet will continue borrowing batters, Rajin Saleh offered no straightforward answer. He pointed out that this question should be directed to the previous management, stating:

"This question should be posed to the previous management because I don’t work specifically with the Sylhet region. I work centrally. From there, I was given the responsibility for the Sylhet divisional team. I only get about two months to work with the team, especially during the National Cricket League. I don’t get much opportunity beyond that. It’s hard for me to develop alternatives in just two months. Our lack of backup batters is the failure of those who worked before me. Why haven’t alternatives been developed yet? So, it's difficult for me to answer how long we will need to rely on borrowed players."

Rajin expressed concern that if Sylhet doesn’t quickly develop alternatives, the team may soon come under BCB’s direct control. Speaking on the need for borrowed batters, Rajin said:

"I don’t know how long this will continue. As long as we don’t develop alternatives, we will have to rely on board-provided players. If we fail to develop alternatives quickly, Sylhet could end up under full BCB control. It’s essential that we urgently find new batters. We have talented young cricketers in hand. With proper training and nurturing, they could have been ready by now. I’ve been working with the Sylhet team for over three and a half years, and during this time, new players like Ferdous (Tawhidul Islam) and Dishan, fresh from Under-17 cricket, have come through. Tofayel is also there. It’s not that no new players are coming, but we need to keep them with the team and train them."

Despite gaining Test status over 25 years ago, why does the responsibility for forming divisional teams still lie with BCB? The main condition for gaining Test status was to spread cricket nationwide. Why is BCB still lagging in this regard?

Rajin Saleh commented on this, saying:

"Regional cricket associations were only established in name. Those in charge in Sylhet didn’t do their jobs properly, and we couldn’t bring the system under our control. Almost everything has been under BCB’s management. Each region in India has its own small cricket board, but we don’t."

However, with recent reforms at BCB, Rajin is hopeful that the new leadership will work on this. He trusts the new president, Faruque Ahmed, to bring about change. Rajin said:

"Now that the new board members have taken charge, I’m sure they’ll work on this. Brother Faruque has taken responsibility, along with Fahim Sir (Nazmul Abedin Fahim). Unless the regional cricket associations are fully operational, we won’t be able to work effectively. Without these organizations, we can’t produce new players. This is crucial to solving our long-standing batting problems."

Rajin also pointed out that producing a bowler is easier than producing a batter. If regional cricket organizations can become functional, he believes that the batting crisis can be resolved within a couple of years.