The fast bowling department has been one of the most exciting revelations for Bangladesh cricket in the past year and to continue the trend, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Robi Axiata Limited have joined hands to launch the “Robi Fast Bowler Hunt”. The registration process has already received enormous response as approximately 35,000 forms were filled with the deadline still a day away.
Previously there had been pace bowling camps and programmes, but they were short-lived as there were no continuation of such activities. Tigers fast bowling duo Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam are finds from one of such camps in the past. However, the BCB believes this time around, the strategy will provide long-term benefits to the country’s cricket.
The organisers during a press conference yesterday revealed that 7,500 participants have been short-listed for the programme that will kick-off from Sunday across 16 venues. After a thorough test of pace and fitness, 12 pacers (10 male and two female) will be nominated for further training at the BCB High-Performance camp.
“We need more pace bowlers in order to fetch more success. Such talent hunts had got us pacers like Rubel and Shafiul. Alongside boys, we have decided to search for female pacers also. Our girls are now playing world-class cricket and have earned the status of playing in the ICC World Twenty20,” said BCB senior vice-president Mahbub Anam who was present alongside commercial and marketing committee chairman Kazi Inam Ahmed, Jalal Younus and Robi COO Mahtab Uddin.
Jalal added that, “There has been a lot of occasions when we found it difficult to get a proper replacement of an injured pacer in the national team. This type of talent hunts will minimise our hard times.”