A second chance for ‘idle cricketers’ through Second XI

Young wicketkeeper-batter Gazi Mohammad Tahjibul Islam played 10 matches for Dhaka Metro and Mymensingh Division across the last two editions of the National Cricket League. This season, however, the 22-year-old will represent Dhaka Division in the NCL Second XI, which begins across four venues today.

A Bangladesh U-19 World Cup representative in 2022, Tahjibul was left out of Dhaka’s First XI, with Mahidul Islam Ankon and Ashiqur Rahman Shibli preferred. The Second XI gives him a chance to regain his place.

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“The Second XI tournament is a great initiative. If this Second XI didn’t exist, we would have had to sit idle this season. Now there’s a chance that if I play extraordinarily well and produce strong innings, I will definitely get called up to the First XI,” Tahjibul told The Daily Star on Tuesday.

In April, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal announced the NCL Second XI Championship, inspired by England’s County Championship.

The NCL is contested by eight divisional teams, and the Second XI competition also features eight divisional teams. The three-day tournament will conclude with a final between the top two sides from November 11 to 13.

Left-handed opener Minhazul Hasan Megh, who has represented Bangladesh at different age levels and played for Shinepukur Cricket Club in the last First Division Cricket League, also welcomed the opportunity.

“I have played First Division cricket for three to four years. Last season, I scored two hundreds and finished sixth among the top run-scorers. With two XI teams this year, more opportunities have opened up,” Megh, who will play for Rangpur Second XI, said.

The tournament could also provide a pathway back for players such as Jubair Hossain Likhon, who has struggled to secure opportunities with his domestic teams and last played first-class cricket in 2019. Likhon has been included in Mymensingh’s Second XI squad this season and sees the tournament as an opportunity to showcase his ability.

“The thing is, in the First XI, apart from big players or seniors, First Division or Second Division players rarely get a chance to play… Now no player is sitting idle. Everyone stays involved in matches and practice, which is really good,” said Likhon, who represented Bangladesh in six Tests, three ODIs and one T20I between 2014 and 2015.

Likhon, who will miss the opening match due to fever, hopes the introduction of the Second XI will help change the perception of leg-spinners in domestic cricket, saying players like him could otherwise spend most of their time on the bench.

For the inaugural season, the BCB has prioritised regular cricket for Second XI players over First XI-level facilities. While First XI players receive Tk 1.5 lakh in match fees, Second XI players will receive Tk 15,000. Their daily allowance is also lower, while the BCB has arranged accommodation for the eight participating teams at Krira Palli and the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Pratisthan (BKSP).

BCB tournament committee chairman Sirajuddin Md Alamgir acknowledged the limitations but said the primary objective was to create a platform for players to prove themselves.

“We are creating a competitive platform on a limited budget to give players an avenue to perform and progress upward. Our facilities are limited due to realistic constraints. Players are accommodated at BKSP and Krira Palli, which offers medium-standard rather than top-tier accommodation,” he said.

“We gave Tk 3 lakh in training funds to each of the eight divisions, with clear spending categories. Today, we issued a show-cause notice to the Rajshahi Divisional Sports Association seeking itemised accounts. If they cannot show the money was spent as specified, they must refund it,” he said, adding that divisional associations must take ownership of their teams rather than rely entirely on the BCB.

The Second XI may not offer First XI-level rewards, but for players waiting for an opportunity, regular cricket could be the most valuable reward of all.