You see, regional cricket associations are being proposed in our country for the past 25 years, even we proposed it once. Yet it still hasn’t been implemented in Bangladesh cricket. Cricket cannot remain so centralised like this. Except for here the game is becoming decentralised everywhere else in the world. If we can’t change that, our cricket will not progress. Because of this centralisation, there were never any players in the pipeline before, nor there is now. Our cricket is still revolving around a few urban centres, like Dhaka, Chattogram, and Rajshahi. There’s no real initiative to expand cricket into rural areas. There will be no progress in cricket like this.

We’re a country of over 180 million (18 crore) people. If we can’t even produce just 11 world-class cricketers from among them, then what’s the point and where’s our achievement? That’s why we must go to the grassroots, to the villages. There should be independent regional cricket associations even at the grassroots level, capable of operating without interference from the central board. Of course, the central board will still have overall responsibilities, but local bodies must be given full authority to run cricket in their regions.

Yes, clubs also have a vital role in Bangladesh cricket. When we were players, clubs played an enormous part, they turned us into cricketers. There’s no denying that they had a role before and will continue to have it in future as well. But we cannot ignore rural areas either. This is essential even for the clubs. Where do the clubs get their players from? From Satkhira, Naogaon, or some other places like that. If there’s no cricket in those regions, then where will clubs like Mohammedan, Victoria, or any others find their players? Cricketers from Keraniganj or Dhanmondi only won't suffice them.