Last Updated on 7 months by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: Chandika Hathurusinghe says the BPL is not of a high quality, which affects Bangladesh in T20 cricket

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has ripped into the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), claming the tournament is not of a high enough standard to take Bangladesh forward in T20 cricket.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Hathurusinghe said local players don’t play a big enough role. Teams rely mostly on overseas players, which is a key reason why Bangladesh have not progressed in the T20 format as perhaps they should.

Sometimes I turn the TV off when watching BPL – Chandika Hathurusinghe

“We [Bangladesh] don’t have a proper T20 tournament,” Hathurusinghe said. “This sounds very odd. When I am watching the BPL, I sometimes turn off the TV. Some players are not even of the [required] class.

Also, the Bangladesh coach believes the ICC should step in with regards to players chopping and changing leagues mid-tournament.

“I have a big issue with the current system. The ICC need to step in. There has to be some regulations. A player is playing one tournament and then he is playing another tournament. It is like a circus. Players will talk about opportunities, but that’s not right. People will lose interest. I have lost interest.”

Hathurusinghe spoke of the importance of Bangladeshi players taking part in the crunch moments. Chattogram Challengers, Sylhet Strikers and Durdanto Dhaka have used overseas players when it comes to the top three, with the Challengers also turning to overseas bowlers mainly for the death.

“When I am watching the BPL, I sometimes turn off the TV. Some players are not even of the [required] class.”

Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe

The solution? Another local T20 tournament before the BPL, believes Hathurusinghe. “We need to have a tournament where our players can do things like batting in the top three. Bangladesh bowlers bowling in the death. Where will we learn these things otherwise? We have only one tournament.

“My suggestion is that we have another tournament before the BPL,” he continued. “The franchises do what they want. Some of the best players are not playing. Then how do you expect the Bangladesh team to be up with the other teams? I am fighting a steep battle.”

It is difficult to argue against the coach’s words looking at Bangladesh’s T20 record. Most of their success is at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, where slow, turning conditions make for low-scoring games. However, when the Tigers travel elsewhere, they tend to struggle.

When it comes to World Cups, Bangladesh have won just nine of 37 matches. The only Test nation they have beaten other than Zimbabwe, who rarely play Tests, was West Indies way back in 2007.

Ahead of this year’s World Cup, Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series at home. It kicks off on March 4th at Sylhet, where all three games will be played.