General BPL Discussion

[Zeeshan]

As Zunaid bhai mentioned it... it was a bit sad seeing Murali and Jaya not in their prime anymore. These were the very guys that used to tear apart opponents yet failed.

[zsayeed]

Ashraful, mashrafee, shakib, mushfiq, sunny in BPL xi cricinfo.
http://m.espncricinfo.com/s/5643/25?...I&topHead=true

Ahmed Shehzad

12 matches, 486 runs, average 48.60, one 100, four 50s

A figure of $50,000 seemed a little too much next to Ahmed Shehzad's name when Barisal Burners picked him. But 486 runs later, it seems like a steal given what several more expensive players have done.

Shehzad slammed four fifties in the league stage but his contributions were telling and crucial after Chris Gayle left. He struck 60 in the next innings and followed it up with important contributions. In the semi-final, Shehzad was on fire, hitting 113 off just 49 balls. When he got out in the final, it was half the game won for the Dhaka Gladiators.

Chris Gayle 5 matches, 288 runs, average 96.00, two 100s

India, Australia and Zimbabwe had seen what the Twenty20 version of Chris Gayle was like, so it was Bangladesh's turn to duck and weave in the stands.

A poor opening ceremony followed by a very low turnout greeted the BPL but Gayle rescued the whole situation with a stunning show of six-hitting seldom seen in this part of the world.

That 44-ball 101 was followed by two innings of equal brutality but not length. He followed those up with another century, his second in four matches, a 61-ball 116 with 11 sixes.

He left Dhaka limping on an unbeaten 30 after pulling his hamstring; Gayle's exits from Dhaka haven't always been rosy.

Brad Hodge 12 matches, 346 runs, average 43.25, three 50s

A player into semi-retirement often takes the backseat and lets the youngsters run the show but Brad Hodge took charge.

Having taken over the captaincy from Shahriar Nafees midway through the tournament, the former Australia batsman scored plenty and scored them quickly. Barisal Burners played with a weakened middle order as Shehzad, Hodge and Mustard had to do the bulk of the scoring after Gayle's departure.

More than his three fifties (one of which was the vital one against Chittagong in the return leg), Hodge's most telling contributions were the three century partnerships he was involved in.

Shakib Al Hasan 11 matches, 280 runs, average 40.00, 1 50, 15 wickets, economy-rate 7.11

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise that Shakib Al Hasan is the most professional cricketer in Bangladesh.

And this tournament has been yet another opportunity for him to further his captaincy ambitions. With the Khulna Royal Bengals reaching the last four, Shakib did a good job handling a multi-national team but it was the weight of his performance that won him the Man-of-the-Tournament car.

Before his fighting half-century in the semi-final which ended in his side losing the game to Dhaka Gladiators, Shakib's final over against Sylhet showed why every coach says the same thing about him, that he can walk into any team in the world.

Mushfiqur Rahim 11 matches, 234 runs, average 39.00, 1 50

The national captain was in charge of Duronto Rajshahi, a team that had enough talent to become champions. They, however, made a poor start, especially by dropping too many catches.

Mushfiqur regrouped his troops and let the bigger names like Abdul Razzaq and Marlon Samuels play their own game.

The younger lot responded and when the wins started to come, Mushfiqur started to score too. His half-century in the semi-final looked good enough for a Man-of-the-Match award but Rajshahi ran into a rampant Barisal and Shehzad did the damage.

Mohammad Ashraful 12 matches, 258 runs, average 28.66, 1 50

Mohammad Ashraful has been heavily criticised for his form with the national team in recent times but he did have some happy moments during the BPL.

He wore the pink cap for much of the three weeks for taking the most number of catches and danced almost each time he took one in the latter stages. He batted well in patches, and even got to a fifty. At least in this tournament, he wasn't totally inconsistent.

He ended BPL as the second-highest run-getter among the Bangladesh players after Shakib, an achievement of sorts for a batsman who hasn't done anything of note of late.

Azhar Mahmood 11 matches, 298 runs, average 33.11, 2 50s, 9 wickets, economy-rate 8.29

One of the pivotal players in the Dhaka Gladiators' march to the trophy was Azhar Mahmood, who brought the weight of his 19-year experience spanning ten teams across the world to the Gladiators dressing-room.

Mahmood batted at No 3 and stabilised a line-up that had too many attacking options. He struck two half-centuries and scored at a fair clip. He picked up nine wickets but was a tad expensive at times.

Elias Sunny 12 matches, 17 wickets, average 14.88, economy-rate 6.71

Regarded as one of the most valued domestic cricketers, Elias Sunny did himself a huge favour by performing impressively.

The wickets didn't come on days when Mosharraf Hossain, the other left-arm spinner, dominated the bowling. He bowled a good spell once in a while but was persisted with, especially due to his batting ability when the team had to choose between him and Mosharraf.

Eventually he had better figures than Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal in the semi-final, though remained wicketless in the final. Despite that, he is the joint highest wicket-taker alongside the next man and won the best local player award in the BPL.

Mohammad Sami 11 matches, 17 wickets, average 15.76, economy-rate 6.51

The last time he played for Pakistan was two years ago, so when he bowled with pace and bagged wickets wickets for Gazi Tank Cricketers in the Dhaka Premier League, people sat up and took notice.

He was rewarded a place in the Duronto Rajshahi squad. After some wicketless games and much coaxing from Razzaq, Sami burst into action with a hat-trick, the tournament's first and only.

He also had the tournament's only five-wicket haul, a brilliant 5 for 6 against Dhaka in the last league game of the BPL.

Mashrafe Mortaza 11 matches, 10 wickets, average 27.40, economy-rate 6.85

Finishing the tournament unscathed was Mashrafe Mortaza's biggest challenge when Dhaka Gladiators belatedly picked him for only $45,000 at the auction after his home side Khulna didn't go for him. He had to prove himself by playing. Ending the tournament as the captain of the title-winners will be of special significance for Mashrafe.

He was also in the news for reporting to his franchise an approach from a fellow cricketer regarding potential spot-fixing and a committee was subsequently formed to look into the matter.

Enamul Haque 9 matches, 13 wickets, average 14.46, economy-rate 6.26

Enamul Haque, a left-arm spinner, needed this tournament as a springboard for future national selection. And he used it quite well.

With 13 wickets, some match-winning ones, in nine games for the Chittagong Kings, Enamul might find himself back in the Bangladesh fold sometime this year.

In the race of the left-arm spinners, Enamul is leading but with so many of them around, he has to keep doing well to hold on to his place.

Mohammad Isam is senior sports reporter at the Daily Star in Dhaka

[Dilscoop]

BS XI. He left out guys like Devon Smith, Cooper, Russell, Arafat x2, Akmal for bdesh players. Biased.

[zsayeed]

True^^.....

[playmaker]

I think ill have is a fair team and tbh, enamul had better stats than Arafat sunny so no complains.

This is BPL XI so 5 foreigners and 6 locals...so the best 5 foreigners in the tourney are there

[Dilscoop]

This team isn't playing any league game. Its a league rule, so I don't see the point in following that rule.

[Crisis]

Disappointed to see no new talents apart from our non-national team players.

[F6_Turbo]

Athar was on late night tv yesterday - no specific topic, just a general discussion on the BPL.

-Pleased with the BPL overall
-Obviously disappointed with the by laws debacle
-Disappointed with Mushfiq, not with the criticism of the SF saga, but the money issue. He felt Mushfiq was ill informed and spoke out of turn.

But the biggest disappointment he expressed and on hearing it, I also agree with, he said, none of the local fringe Rajshahi players, went out of their way to talk to the overseas players, to try to pick apart their brains to get a better understanding of how they do, what they do.

He said someone like Mushfiq was always with the likes of Sami, Samuels, Razzak etc trying to gain knowledge, and little tips, but the rest were just happy to kick back and relax.

I understand the language barrier and natural shyness might have been big factors in this, but you gotta try, right?

[Jadukor]

sometimes not knowing what to ask is also a problem... Amader international cricketer der cricketing knowledge er jei oboshta (read: Shahadat, Shafiul, nasir hossain) I wouldn't be surprised if the locals boys actually didn't know what to ask. after all last thing they would want to do is ask a stupid question like "Gayle bhai apne bat dui haate dhoren naa ak haate?"

[cricheart]

Mushfiq is the only captain in BD so far fluent in english in front of microphone. So, having chance to sit with overseas players dont really effect other local boys like him.

"Gayle bhai apne bat dui haate dhoren naa ak haate?" (very funny humor question) IDK any1 among them can even try that with a sennse of humor

[Tiger444]

Originally Posted by F6_Turbo
Athar was on late night tv yesterday - no specific topic, just a general discussion on the BPL.

-Pleased with the BPL overall
-Obviously disappointed with the by laws debacle
-Disappointed with Mushfiq, not with the criticism of the SF saga, but the money issue. He felt Mushfiq was ill informed and spoke out of turn.

But the biggest disappointment he expressed and on hearing it, I also agree with, he said, none of the local fringe Rajshahi players, went out of their way to talk to the overseas players, to try to pick apart their brains to get a better understanding of how they do, what they do.

He said someone like Mushfiq was always with the likes of Sami, Samuels, Razzak etc trying to gain knowledge, and little tips, but the rest were just happy to kick back and relax.

I understand the language barrier and natural shyness might have been big factors in this, but you gotta try, right?

The language barrier is somewhat understandable but still there is no excuse. If you have a hard time speaking English, just ask Mushy or somebody else in the team who can speak English. That was 1 of the main purposes of the BPL. To get to rub shoulders with some very good international players. This shouldn't be just an option either. It's like not asking your colleagues in your job on how to do better. Well now we see why Mushy continues to improve despite having a slow start to his career. The guy is extremely hard working and professional. Our other players could do well learning from him.

[playmaker]

I think its not really about language barrier but also lack of courage.

They dont feel confident in going to a intl player and asking him for help, thinking he is just a nuisance for the player.

I think this needs to change, you need to have guts to talk with other pplayers

[AsifTheManRahman]

Sissies, bunch of sissies!

Posted via BC Mobile Edition (Blackberry)

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
"Gayle bhai apne bat dui haate dhoren naa ak haate?"

Gayle can perform the same even without holding the bat with any hand!

[HereWeGo]

Originally Posted by playmaker
I think ill have is a fair team and tbh, enamul had better stats than Arafat sunny so no complains.

This is BPL XI so 5 foreigners and 6 locals...so the best 5 foreigners in the tourney are there

That is exactly why i hate stats....
Stats wont tell you that Enamul hardly bowled an over during the power play or the final 3 overs in the game. Arafat more often than not bowled at the beginning of the innings.

Same is true for the other super hyped SLA Razzaq....

Enamul still was impressive, but razzaq was just bowling flat at the legs or way outside off stump.... Razzaq had no clue how to bowl when batsmen came charging down the track... these are some monor things for which u have to watch the match instead of relying on stats...

[nadim 98]

Originally Posted by HereWeGo
That is exactly why i hate stats....
Stats wont tell you that Enamul hardly bowled an over during the power play or the final 3 overs in the game. Arafat more often than not bowled at the beginning of the innings.

Same is true for the other super hyped SLA Razzaq....

Enamul still was impressive, but razzaq was just bowling flat at the legs or way outside off stump.... Razzaq had no clue how to bowl when batsmen came charging down the track... these are some monor things for which u have to watch the match instead of relying on stats...

Exactly
http://www.banglacricket.com/alochon...22&postcount=7

[zsayeed]

i had no idea where to post Gayle's dilemma, but given his recent winning of hearts in the BPL I thought this would be an appropriate venue.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine...ry/555964.html

[Rabz]

Its really sad to hear about the kids.

Can't learn or won't learn are two different things.

[playmaker]

^^^

I think they feel intimidated thats all

[Navo]

What the BPL failed to do for Bangladesh Cricket - http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/inbox/..._to_do_for.php

[zsayeed]

Originally Posted by Navo
What the BPL failed to do for Bangladesh Cricket - http://blogs.espncricinfo.com/inbox/..._to_do_for.php

4. Perhaps the lack of big scores from local players could be attributed to this: in only three innings (for Chittagong in the tournament’s second match, and for Rajshahi in the fourth and ninth matches) out of a possible 66, were both openers local. That is a measly 4.54%.

Why would franchise owners gamble on any new finds when the goal is clear - win. This was not a nursery but a commercial league. I can understand the disappointment but the dynamics is clear - value to the owners and the public - win. This is not a league to tinker with. But, also, I see the point. And then again, it was not a match to foster locals either - then we would have had the icons be paid equally to foreigners.

The blogger also claim: "Any domestic tournament, like the BPL, looks to produce players for the national setup. Commercial success is usually a secondary aim. " I don't think so. Its about money - always in these leagues. Its all about money that IND will not invite BD. All of a sudden the cricketing world is becoming utopian - I don't think so.

[simon]

^^I agree with you, it's not a league for improving local plyrs skill, I mean to some extent it does help a lot but the priority is to win,entertain.
it's understandable that the locals haven't done well engh, we don't play T20 in domestics (that much), the national players did reasonably well because of their experience, besides they r in the national squad because they are better than those who aren't.

[playmaker]

I think players should learn to improve with the high profile coaches available


But id like to see another extra team because many of the locals arent getting enough chances

[firstlane]

Dean Jones
March 3, 2012


WHAT a bizarre week of cricket it has been. Virat Kohli's innings on Tuesday against Sri Lanka is up there with one of the greatest one-day international knocks of all time. Honestly, how can India chase down 320 and get the runs in 36.4 overs with the form it has been in?

Kohli's innings rates up there with Viv Richards' epic knock against England in 1984. At one stage the West Indies were 7-102, and Viv went on to smash 189 not out to help take his team to a total of 272.

India had to win its match and win it well. Young charges such as Kohli showed the way. Surely now, India has to make some changes in its one-day and Test teams after this tour.
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I think Kohli should be No. 3 in India's one-day team but not for Tests. He still needs to work on the defensive side to his game to be a Test No. 3. I believe he is well suited to No. 4 or No. 5.

The funny thing about the Board of Control for Cricket in India is that it refuses to have a review system for umpires and yet it says it will have a review of the tour when the team returns.

And bizarre is the only word to describe some of the occurrences in the Bangladesh Premier League.

After three Pakistani cricketers were sent to jail for ''spot-fixing'', a Pakistani citizen was detained in Dhaka and his phone confiscated. It has been alleged that the phone contains player names and even bank account details.

It's not all bad news, however. I was involved with the Chittagong Kings and I was very impressed with the standard of the BPL. I also noticed the anti-corruption squad was very vigilant in making sure everything was above board. Before the tournament, I was blown away when I heard that Bangladeshi player Mashrafe Mortaza had reported to his franchise that a fellow cricketer approached him for opportunities in ''spot-fixing''. The International Cricket Council and BPL wanted to put Mortaza on report on the grounds that he approached the media first and not the authorities. Surely he is the victim here? We await those findings.

The rules seemed to change half-way through the Bangladesh tournament. One struggling franchise wanted to go outside those players who registered for the tournament's auction and was prepared to pay big money to obtain other star players from around the world. Fortunately, no one was available, because of international cricket commitments. But the rule was passed nevertheless.

I was fined 15,000 Bangladeshi takas ($A170) by match referee Mike Procter for being on the ground after 10 overs when the strategic time-out was employed. I registered an appeal for three reasons: first, the team wasn't given any rules on what we could and could not do throughout the tournament; second, the playing staff is allowed to enter the ground in the Indian Premier League and other teams have done this during the tournament; lastly, the third umpire said to me as we walked out together, that he ''didn't think'' I was allowed out on the ground. When I asked whether he ''didn't think'' I was allowed on the ground or he knew that I was not allowed to enter the ground, he said he ''didn't know''. I am still awaiting a response from Procter.

In other strange happenings, the Chittagong Kings have threatened to pull out of the next edition of the BPL because they were replaced in the semi-finals of this year's tournament hours after being officially deemed to have qualified. The matter descended into farce, with the BPL stating on Monday that Chittagong was one of the semi-finalists and then, at 2.45am on Tuesday, issuing a release saying that, in fact, Barisal Burners were the fourth semi-finalists. The situation became murkier on Tuesday as the Chittagong franchise alleged that the BPL had also not responded to its reports of being approached to fix matches.

Anyway, Chittagong has threatened legal action, as it watched its replacement win the first semi-final and qualify for the decider.

The funny thing about all this mess was that Barisal Burners skipper Brad Hodge was off to the airport to go home on Monday night after the first statement was released. With a few hasty phone calls, Hodge was called back to the hotel. The look on Hodgey's face would have been priceless - as would his colourful language, I suspect. Hodge made an unbeaten 70 from 51 balls in the final, but Dhaka Gladiators emerged as the first BPL champions.

Finally, what a great win - well, tie - to give the South Australian Redbacks their first domestic title in 25 years. It was the best domestic one-day match I have seen. The Redbacks were gone with nine balls to go but didn't give in, and with some great defensive bowling by Gary Putland and some brilliant captaincy by Michael Klinger, managed a tie with Tasmania. The Redbacks won the one-day cup as they finished on top of the ladder.

Just imagine if the BPL governing council was administering this final. God knows what would have happened.


http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/...302-1u8jx.html

I wonder if Jones was really fired by Ctg Kings as Pont reported. There was no news about that in any newspaper like the above mentioned Hodge incident. I might ask him on Facebook or Twitter.

[Zunaid]

That Hodge was already at the airport and then called back was known. There were a number of reports on it.