On Saturday, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam Bulbul said the BCB will launch an under-23 programme aimed at closing the gap between under-19 cricket and the high-performance setup, outlining broader plans for regional centres and a redesigned development pathway.
Speaking at a press conference, Bulbul confirmed that the board has identified a structural gap in the current system. “Through our research we have seen a big gap between under-19 and high performance,” he said. “We have an established national team, an ‘A’ team and an HP unit, but something is missing in between.”
The proposed under-23 programme is expected to operate in the mould of a Bangladesh Academy, focusing not only on cricketing skills but also on off-field development. According to Bulbul, players will be taught how to handle media, conduct interviews, manage time and understand what it means to be a professional cricketer. The initiative will be led by BCB director and former national selector Abdur Razzak and is expected to begin soon.
Bulbul also praised a pilot project proposed by former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mashud Pilot as part of the board’s wider regional strategy. The BCB has begun rolling out regional cricket centres, with Sylhet identified as the first major initiative. “We are starting with only four districts as a pilot,” Bulbul said. “If we make mistakes, we will learn from them. The goal is to create regional centres across the country so every cricketer can clearly see a pathway to the national team.”
In Rajshahi, cricket development has already begun through a privately run project involving 25 schools. Bulbul said the BCB’s involvement there is currently limited but signalled plans to scale it up. “When we establish a regional centre in Rajshahi under the board’s initiative, it will become much bigger,” he said.
The BCB president also acknowledged shortcomings in the existing high-performance unit and outlined plans for reform. He said training should place greater emphasis on mental conditioning, fast bowling development, improved spin bowling and more effective batting against quality bowling.
“Our mistake was the HP concept itself,” Bulbul admitted. “We are trying to correct that now. It is difficult work. It requires planning and the right people, especially good coaches. But if we do this properly, players who will represent Bangladesh in 2030 to 2032 should come through this system.”
Bulbul added that while the scale of the task is significant, the opportunities for improvement are equally large. “There is a lot of work to be done and a lot of potential,” he said. “We are trying to fill those gaps.”
