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A look back – How cricket in Bangladesh has changed in recent years‍

by Wisden Staff 3 minute read

Cricket, as a sport, has changed significantly over the past decade.

The Bangladesh cricket team is one of those attempting to keep pace with it. Cricket is now fast, aggressive, and packed with thrill. Bangladesh’s team is now fitter, stronger, and faster than ever before. But it wasn’t always like that.

Along with these drastic changes, cricket as a spot has become more popular among the viewers as well. The online gambling industry is now worth more than 170 billion dollars now, and nz online gambling companies offer mega offers and bonuses on this sport, making cricket even more exciting.

In the last few years, there have been remarkable changes in how the Bangladesh team plays the game thanks to better facilities, more training facilities, and more importantly, greater emphasis on fitness and diet among cricketers.

Better cricket infrastructure

The cricket infrastructure in Bangladesh has improved immensely over the past few years.

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, now has six turf wickets, and more at the BSS Hospital and the Bangabandhu National Stadium are expected to be ready for use in March. There has also been an increase in the number of artificial wickets. This has helped more people to play the game, and also save the surface at the premier cricket grounds.

The indoor cricket facility at the MA Aziz Stadium in Dhaka has also added to the game’s popularity. This facility offers coaching and nets to youngsters who are keen on the game. They also have more stadiums with modern facilities now.

More coaching workshops

Apart from improving the cricket infrastructure and having more coaching workshops, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is also emphasizing the fitness aspect of the game by inviting coaches who focus on that aspect.

There were two coaching workshops in 2017. One of them was conducted by former India cricketer Robin Singh while the other one was by Australian fitness coach Trent Johnston.

The BCB started a high-performance training camp consisting of young players from the country. Toby Radford was named the coach of that high-performance team back in 2020.

Bigger paychecks for national cricketers

Bangladesh cricketers have been given bigger paychecks compared to the past. The new central contract system came into effect on March 10, 2022. Under the new contract system, the BCB is paying the cricketers almost twice as much as compared to 2015 and 2016.

More strict fitness and nutrition regimes

The new regime has made fitness and diet regimes stricter. The cricketers are required to visit the gym every day and do strict workouts.

BCB strength and conditioning coach Abid Hossain says cricketers are now required to sit in the gym for at least five hours and do three different types of workouts – strength and power, core, and flexibility. Under the new regime, the cricketers are also expected to follow strict diet rules. They are expected to eat a balanced diet consisting of proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins.

Cricket in Bangladesh has changed a lot in the last few years. There are more turf wickets, more artificial wickets, better coaching workshops, bigger paychecks, and a more strict fitness and diet regime. This has helped them grow. Is it time for other aspiring cricket teams to do the same?

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