Teething problems ahead
of new-look NCL
Bangladesh's 2012-13 domestic
season will kick-off with a new-
look National Cricket League, with
the opening match between
defending champions Rajshahi
Division and Dhaka Division starting
October 14 to be played with the
pink-ball and under lights at the
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in
Mirpur.
But even the novelty of the new
ball or the introduction of two
major steps - franchise system for
the teams and the players' salary
structure - have failed to ensure
anything but the typicalr build-up
to the country's only first-class
competition. Six of the eight
participating teams are only
beginning to train less than two
weeks before such a grueling
competition, while the Bangladesh
Cricket Board is expected to
finance half the number of teams.
Indifference towards the first-class
game has meant that the BCB were
able to woo only four companies to
buy franchises, ESPNcricinfo has
learnt, two of which already own
teams in the Bangladesh Premier
League Twenty20s and the 50-over
competition, the Dhaka Premier
League. It is also not clear which
of the first-class teams will have
franchisees. The other major step -
the salary structure for the 105
first-class cricketers that was
announced in August and set to be
implemented from the new season
- is also designed to inject much
needed motivation for the players
in the longer version. But the long-
running infrastructural deficiencies
in many parts of the country have
stymied most of the cricketers to
stay indoors rather than train in
proper facilities.
Full news:
http://www.espncricinfo.com/banglade...ry/585112.html