Khaled Masud Pilot, former Bangladesh national cricket team’s captain thinks that Bangladesh has to produce plenty of quality players to form three different teams for different formats.
Bangladesh Post had an exclusive interview with Pilot, the former Bangladesh captain after a day of Eid-ul-Fitr in Rajshahi at his is restaurant Nongor, on the bank of the River Padma. Pilot gives importance to producing enough quantity and quality players to have strong teams in all three formats.
Pilot replied to a query said, “We need to produce plenty of quality players to form three different teams for different formats of Test, ODI and T20. It’s possible for India, because they have a large quantity and as well as quality players to form three different teams for different formats. You see India produce so many quality players, so they have so many options to make better choice to form Test, One Day and T20 teams. They have also a competition wings, who research with Test, One and as well as for T20 formats.
“There are some players, who are always fit for all formats – Test, ODI and T20. They may be perfect in their basic, but sometimes their skill would have to improve to make them specialist for an individual format. From that concept, some players groomed up as Test, One Day or T20 specialist.
“There are also some dynamic players, who are very much skilled to play in every format. Actually, India have both quantity and quality players, so not only three, they can form five specialist teams,” Pilot revealed.
“But I think if Bangladesh form three different teams for three different formats, there would need 33 specialist players. I think Bangladesh will lose to minnows like Arab Emirates also. But considering our condition, you will have 10 to 12 players for three all formats. Because there are not plenty of quality players. You have to consider Shakib in all formats – Test, ODI T20. Then if you tell about Mahmudullah, he is good enough for all and Taskin is as well. Like them, you may have 10 players, who are good enough for three formats. For fine the tuning and make the team an extraordinary, you can choice three to four players for T20 as pinch hitter for rest of the team. Some players - slower but steady for Test team. Pilot giving importance of monitoring from grass root leve, said, “From school level, you should have monitoring whether boys are going-over real test, - without proper monitoring you will not get genuine talent. If the players qualify without proper exam ultimately, those students can’t do well in the top level. Sometimes, we can see in districts and divisional level players are not coming through proper way, some players get chance through pushing. If the trend will be going on, ultimately we will not get genuine talents.”
“You see school tournaments are organizing, there are events in school level, these are for show. You would see, sometimes the competitions are organizing in below standard grounds, conditions of some grounds are too much horrible, almost unplayable.”
“You can’t compromise with such conditions, you can never expect anything good from there. You would have to maintain quality in every stage, what we can see in India, they are very much careful to maintain the quality from grass roots and ultimately talents produced there.”
Pilot thinks, Rajshahi is now ready to host international match, “Rajshahi has a heritage of cricket, so many players have been representing the national team from here - Nazmul Hossain Shanto, the captain of national team of all three formats is also the boy from Rajshahi, Shoruful is from my academy, Nahid Rana is from my academy. There are excellent cricket grounds in Rajshahi, once there were no quality accommodations, hotels, but now there have every facilities. Moreover, if you want to promote the game all over the country, so I think it is time to make Rajshahi as an international venue.”
“Yeah, right now, you may not organize matches of some big nations like Australia, England and South Africa or some others, but you can start with Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and some others. Now it is meaningless to organizes matches of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Dhaka. If you organise the matches in Rajshahi, you will get spectators, new generation will be highly inspired. So I think Rajshahi might be an ideal venue to organise international matches.
Meanwhile, the former national team’s captain Pilot is also very much responsive about the environment, a he plays a big role in the beautification of Rajshahi City, which drew the attention of all as the most beautiful city in Bangladesh.
“Actually I love my country, my city and always to do something good. Once, the back of the Padma was a dark place, what was going to be a crime zone. Khairuzzaman Liton Mayor of Rajshahi, who has been doing a lot to make Rajshahi a beautiful City. I also thought to join with him and with the help of Mayor I am also trying to do make it a green and beautiful spot of the bank of the Padma.
‘Nongor’ it’s a restaurant but not fully business purposes, I just started it for refreshment of the people, who use to come here. But I think, if all the rivers’ sides across the country should be maintained properly, the environment of our whole country would be changed,” Pilot urged to all.