Playing quick bowler, leg-spinner a priority not mandatory, says BCB director

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DHAKA, Dec 10, 2019 (BSS)-A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director
today said playing a quick bowler with 140 KM speed and a leg-spinner in
every team of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is not
mandatory rather it’s a priority.

The BCB earlier said as they want to groom the cricketers through this
tournament, they made it mandatory for all the teams to include a quick
bowler and leg-spinner.

But veteran director Enayet Hossain Siraj said that the board did not
make it mandatory rather it tried to say that including a leg-spinner and
quick bowler should be given top priority.

Siraj made the statement during the jersey unveiling ceremony Rangpur
Rangers.

Rangers included leg-spinner Rishad Hossain in their squad but his chance of
playing in the BBPL is very slim considering he is expected to play the ICC
Under-19 World Cup.

“It is not being imposed [to play a leg spinner and a pace bowler over
140 kmph],” Siraj said here today. ”But we will try to have a leg-spinner in
the team. And for playing a pacer bowling at 140, the wicket has to be of
that sort. Then there is also the fact of team combination. We will give
priority to play leg spinner,” he said.

Siraj said BCB came up with the statement like including leg-spinner and
quick bowler since Bangladesh have the lacking in those two departments.

“We have a lacking with leg-spinner so we have to give priorities. But
there is nothing in the playing condition [that a team has to play a leg
spinner or a 140 KMPH pace bowler]. For national interest we will try to play
leg-spinner,” he said.

Earlier two months ago, during the National Cricket League (NCL), BCB
sacked two divisional coaches after they failed to follow the rules of
playing a leg-spinner in the team. Meanwhile, Siraj added that he is
replacing Akram Khan in the Rangers squad as team director as they are
sponsored by Incepta Group where he is one of the stakeholders.

“Earlier I was in Rajshahi and Akram was here. But as I am stakeholders
of Incepta and therefore board decided to give me this team but Akram is
still there as he had formed the team and he will be working with me,” he
said.

BCB is yet to announce any director for Rajshahi Royals.