MD ABU TALHA SARKER, Dhaka: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has chalked out a plan to have a two-day fitness test for the players prior to their drafting in the upcoming Corporate T20 Cricket League-2020.
The BCB has prepared a list of 93 players for the test, which will be held in phases. All the tests will be held at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on November 9 and 10 respectively.
A total of three batches will take part in the test, where a total of 60 players will attend the mandatory test on the first day.
The remaining players will join on the second day test after which they will be eligible for the players’ draft to be held on November 11.
The BCB, meanwhile, has finalised the number of the participating teams but they are yet to announce the names of the teams. Even they are yet to set a benchmark of fitness for the players. But they will soon sit with the national selectors and its medical department to define the benchmark.
This time, they have to face a bit of hiccup to fix the parameter coupled with determining the players’ fitness as they have to address different types of players.
Firstly, there are a set of regular players, who recently played a cricket tournament called the BCB President’s Cup after coming through a host of fitness tests. It’ll not be difficult for them to cross the benchmark of an 11-point fitness test.
But those who will freshly come to play the tournament won’t be able to cross the benchmark easily as they had no good touch with regular practice; even they didn’t get any opportunity to come on the field to use any practice facility to keep their fitness level sound enough.
In such a situation, it is learnt that they will soon fix it in consultation with the authority concerned after which they will formally unveil the overall fitness plan for its next and new domestic Twenty20 cricket tournament.
And then, the management will fix how much concession they will give them in the fitness test. Regarding the fitness test, BCB Chief Physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury said a fitness test should be imposed to increase the standard of the tournament and its competitiveness with intent to reduce the risk of injuries of the players ahead of the tournament. But they are yet to inform the board.
“We’re yet to fix what will be the parameter for the fitness of the players. If we fix a parameter, all can do that score. In this case, those who are in practice will find it easier to cross the benchmark. But those who didn’t get any facility to maintain their fitness prior to the test, won’t do well in it,” added Dr Chowdhury.
“Fitness is important for the players and the tournament as well. The more the players are fit, the more the injury cases come down. And so, if the test remains, the tendency to stay fit will be more effective among the players,” he told The Independent.
It is learnt from the BCB sources that the board has prepared a list of 103 players, 54 of whom played the recently-concluded three-team BCB President’s Cup and were in regular practice, but the remaining of the players were out of practice.
With the concern of COVID-19 in mind, the BCB keeps ready a host of players out of the 93 players so that they can address any untoward situation on the stroke of the game for which they have prepared an arrangement of some additional players under their plan.
In addition, the five-team competition, designed by the BCB and named after Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, will roll onto the ground on November 25 or 26.
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