"With a target to make the meet more competitive within a reasonable expenditure, the tournament committee has proposed a new format for the longer-version meet, which will kick off from the last week of December this year.
And the most significant changes is that the NCL has shifted from league format to a cup format with semifinals and final, the latter of which would be a five-day affair. The number of matches will reduce to 22 from 33."
If you're interested in developing Test players, this is a bad move. A real bad move. It is four-day cricket that makes quality cricketers.
If this shortened season happened this last year, Mahamadullah doesnt hit the four tons in a row that get him into the side, and Bangladesh don't have a right-arm offspinner in the team.
Moving the games to the cheap venues, fine - as long as the cheap venues can create a First Class pitch (centrally contracted ground staff are a plan, guys).
How much money does an FC game in Bangladesh lose, anyway (yeah, they lose money, but it builds quality cricketers) ?
Finally, hit and giggle makes bad cricketers ! Yes, you need to do it for cash flow, but for crying out loud, Bangladesh needs fast bowlers who can take wickets and batsmen that can build innings. With a domestic structure based around hit and giggle, you get neither.
Ian Whitchurch
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