The search for Bangladesh’s next generation of fast bowlers and spinners will begin in Sylhet on September 27, with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Robi bringing back their nationwide talent hunt after an eight-year gap.
The latest edition of the Robi Bowler Hunt was launched at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, with both male and female cricketers eligible to take part.
Former Bangladesh captain and BCB President Tamim Iqbal, who was playing for the national team when the original pace hunt was launched in 2016, backed the initiative and recalled how little importance was once given to fast bowling in the country.
“There were times when we played with one fast bowler just for the sake of having one in the team. That bowler might bowl two or three overs in a match, and then the spinners would take over,” Tamim said.
“At that time, Robi coming in with a fast-bowling hunt was a huge message. Robi did not go with the flow. Robi went against the flow and tried to change Bangladesh cricket.”
The 2016 Robi Pace Hunt winner Ebadot Hossain, who attended Tuesday’s launch, along with national team players Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam and Taskin Ahmed and women’s cricketer Nishita Akter, recalled how the programme helped change the course of his career.
“First of all, I want to thank Robi and the BCB. They gave me an opportunity through a programme like this in 2016, and because of that opportunity, I am standing here today and representing Bangladesh,” Ebadot said.
“I was very nervous at the time. It was a cold morning and I had come from Faridpur. Sarwar Imran Sir gave me the opportunity to bowl, and I managed to bowl fast. I eventually finished first in the 2016 Robi Pace Hunt,” he added.
The trials will be held in all divisional cities, with two rounds in Dhaka making it nine trials overall. Bowlers selected from the regional trials will then be invited to a final camp in Dhaka, where the BCB will identify players for further training and development through its High Performance (HP) programme.
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, former West Indies fast bowler Corey Collymore and BCB HP head coach Mohammad Salahuddin will oversee the talent hunt.
Registration will be available through the My Robi and My Cirkle apps.
Robi managing director and CEO Ziad Satara said the programme would give both male and female fast bowlers and spinners a platform to display their skills and create a route towards further development.
