Towhid Hridoy has admitted that public interest in cricket in Bangladesh may be fading, and pointed the finger squarely at the players themselves. Speaking to the media at Mirpur on Sunday ahead of the Dhaka Premier League, the national team batter did not hold back.
“Compared to before, I feel the craze for cricket may have decreased a bit, though I could be wrong,” he said. “Perhaps we are also responsible for that decline, because as a team we have not been performing well.”
Hridoy was equally forthright on the significance of the DPL’s return, particularly for cricketers who exist outside the national spotlight. With the league having been stalled for months due to the standoff between clubs and the previous BCB board, its resumption carries weight far beyond the cricket itself.
“Playing tournaments was very important for every cricketer. If you look at it, players from the third division and second division could not play. Some of us Premier League players play first-class cricket and take part in other domestic tournaments. But those in the second and third divisions are not getting to play. For them, it is definitely a matter of hardship.”
He went further, highlighting the economic reality facing many domestic cricketers. “I think there are many players who run their families by playing this tournament. I hope better opportunities will be created for them going forward by the BCB. If tournaments do not take place, not only do players lose opportunities, but good players also do not emerge.”
Fresh from a solid showing in the white-ball series against New Zealand, where he adapted to a changing batting order and continued to contribute runs, Hridoy spoke about his ongoing development as a player.
“There is no end to learning. Everyone learns. You do, we do. Everyone tries every day to learn something. We are all trying, I am trying too. Wherever there are areas to fix or improve, I am working on them.”
On the subject of pressure, he was equally composed. “There is nothing like pressure. If you think about it, there is pressure everywhere. But how much you enjoy it, how much you can give to the team, or how much you can perform yourself from within that pressure, that is your challenge as a player. You have to take that challenge.”
Hridoy will turn out for Mohammedan this season and was quietly confident ahead of their opening fixture, though he stopped short of making bold predictions. “By the grace of Allah, we have built a good team. On paper, many teams look strong, and ours is one of them. At the end of the day, the team that performs better on the field will get the result.”
