Pacers enjoying competition among each other

The bowlers especially the pacemen have been in superb form in the ongoing BCB President's Cup. They are giving the batsmen tough times particularly with the new ball, making life difficult for the top order batsmen.

Rubel Hossain of Mahmudullah XI and Taskin Ahmed of Najmul XI spoke to the media ahead of the final of the tournament.  Both of them are delighted with the pacers' performance and are eyeing the championship. 

"I am really satisfied with the way I have been bowling. I have been able to do whatever I want with the ball, especially up front," said Rubel.

The experienced fast bowler has been enjoying the healthy competition that is going on in the tournament: "The pacers and some batsmen are in very good form right now. It's great to maintain a healthy competition with the other pacers. It's great not only for Bangladesh cricket, but also for us because it pushes us to perform better than others. I love this competition and it brings the best out of players."

Rubel believes that a long break is responsible for the batsmen not being at their best. "Throughout the tournament, the pacers have dominated. I think the batsmen are struggling a bit because they had been away from cricket for a while. But some of them like Mushfiq bhai (Mushfiqur Rahim) and Riyad bhai (Mahmudullah) have batted superbly. I think the batsmen will return to form as time goes on," he mentioned.

"We haven't really been worried. We are keeping the process simple. If all of us can play our roles accordingly, I think a positive result is on the cards. If we fast bowlers can bowl in good areas and execute our plans properly, I think the job will be easier for our batsmen," Rubel concluded.

Taskin Ahmed, who has impressed everyone with his bowling in the tournament, credited the pacers for executing their plans perfectly. "I think the bowlers bowled really well. Yes, they got a bit of assistance from the wicket but you have to give credit to them for the way they gave the batsmen tough times and executed the plans especially with the new ball," he stated.

The 25-year old said that they are confident of winning the tournament. "We will play for the championship, no doubt. We have won three out of four games. Everyone is putting a lot of effort in all departments," Taskin mentioned.

"Almost all the fast bowlers have done well in the tournament. There's been significant improvement. If I am asked to evaluate my performance, I'll say that I am doing better than before. But there is room for improvement. I will keep up the fight and try my best to do well in the future too," he added.

Both the fast bowlers thanked the BCB for arranging such a tournament amid the dire Covid-19 situation and said that it will help them when international cricket returns.