Buoyed by the recent successes of the women's cricket team, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is planning a franchise-based regional tournament, reports Cricbuzz.
It is part of a comprehensive plan chalked out by BCB to develop women's cricket across the country.
BCB plans to introduce a "BCL-like tournament" for women's cricket from the upcoming season of the Bangladesh cricket calendar as a first step towards a longer vision.
Bangladesh Cricket League is the lone franchise-based four day tournament that is played in the country apart from National Cricket League, the traditional first-class tournament
'We are planning to host franchise-based longer version tournament for women cricketers,'' Nazmul Abedin, team operating manager of BCB told reporters at Mirpur in the city on Saturday.
''They usually play in the National Cricket League (NCL), which is a 50-over tournament. We plan to form four zonal teams for the tournament that will continue for two days. As there is a growing popularity of women's cricket I am sure franchises will come forward to capitalise it in the upcoming days,'' he said.
"This year it will be limited to a two-day affair and gradually transformed into a three-dayer in the next season. Afterwards, the board will make it a full-fledged longer-version cricket tournament in the next two years depending on the response and success of the maiden season. It'll be a beginning of their longer version cricket. The women cricketers have never played such a tournament. It'll be the first step for them before heading into the full-fledged longer version of the game," said Nazmul.
This will be the first step of Bangladesh in their aim of earning Test status that they are eyeing to accomplish in the near future.
"Day by day, we will try to achieve Test status as early as possible. If we attain the status, we will be able to play Test cricket with top-notch teams on a regular basis," said Nazmul.
© 2024 - All Rights with The Financial Express
