Sylhet out to reclaim cricketing aura thru structured development

Once regarded as one of the fertile grounds for producing talented cricketers, Sylhet is now looking to rediscover its lost cricketing glory through a comprehensive grassroots development plan after nearly a decade of stagnation in its domestic cricket structure.

The northeastern region, which has produced several national cricketers, including former Bangladesh captain Rajin Saleh and fast bowlers Ebadot Hossain, Syed Khaled Ahmed and Abu Jayed Rahi, has struggled to maintain a sustainable pathway for emerging players due to the absence of regular leagues, school cricket and age-group competitions.

The prolonged disruption has not only affected the development of young cricketers but also weakened the region's cricketing culture, leaving many promising talents without an organised platform to showcase their abilities.

However, a renewed initiative involving the government, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and experienced sports organisers has raised hopes of reversing the situation.

The government has formed an ad-hoc committee for the Sylhet District Cricket Association to accelerate cricket development in the region. The BCB has also chosen veteran sports organiser Abdul Quiyum Choudhury as its director from Sylhet, bringing an experienced administrator into the effort to rebuild the region's cricketing structure.

Abdul Quiyum Choudhury, who is also an administrator of Sylhet City Corporation, believes the revival process must begin with the basics, particularly restoring domestic competitions and establishing a proper development pathway for young players.

Drawing on his experience in cricket administration, including his involvement with Arafat Rahman Koko in professionalising the country's cricket structure in 2004, he said Sylhet needed to combine its traditional cricketing strengths with a modern approach to talent development.

"Cricketers who emerged from Sylhet during that period largely made it through their own efforts. There were no regular leagues, and the development process was not given the attention it deserved," Quiyum Choudhury told the BSS.

He said the immediate priority would be to bring former organisers and club officials back into the system, restore regular competitions and strengthen age-group programmes to ensure young cricketers have a clear route to the national level.

Sylhet's cricketing history provides ample evidence of its potential. Rajin Saleh, Alok Kapali and Abu Hasan Raju were among the notable players who represented Bangladesh, with Rajin eventually captaining the national side. 

The region also produced a number of international fast bowlers in recent years, including Rahi, Khaled and Ebadot. However, their emergence exposed another weakness in the local development structure: most of them did not progress through a consistent domestic system in Sylhet.

Ebadot and Khaled were identified through pace-bowling talent hunt programmes, while Rahi established himself through his performances in Dhaka's domestic cricket.

Former national captain Rajin believes the absence of a structured system has deprived an entire generation of young cricketers of opportunities that were available to their predecessors.

He recalled how age-group cricket in Sylhet provided the foundation for his generation before they progressed to the Sylhet league and subsequently the Dhaka league, which served as an important stepping stone towards national recognition.

"For the last one decade, there was no proper cricket tournament or league in Sylhet. Once we played age-group cricket in Sylhet and then graduated to the Sylhet league. After that, I came to Dhaka to play in the Dhaka league. There was a system in place which I and other cricketers followed to enter into the national team," Rajin said.

"But unfortunately, for the last one decade, there was no league or tournament, and there was no school cricket. So how can cricketers get a platform to showcase their credentials?" he questioned.�"BSS