Chief selector calls for more money in domestic cricket

Rafiqul Alam, Bangladesh's newly-appointed chairman of selectors, has said pumping more money into domestic cricket is the easiest way to improve the game at that level.

"I rather think that if domestic cricket is spruced with more money, competition will go up and there will be more close matches," Alam told the Daily Star,a Dhaka-based newspaper. "The first-class competition [National Cricket League] should be taken seriously by all concerned," he said.

The Bangladesh board has set up a ten-member committee to review the structure of the domestic game as it feels the weakness of domestic cricket is hampering Bangladesh's performance at the international level.

Alam, who replaced Faruque Ahmed in the selection panel, outlined the goals for his two-year tenure. "My personal point of view is that we should have a short-term goal and that should last three to four years, if not more." He said Bangladesh had shown considerable improvement in one-dayers over the past few years and should continue to build on the positive work to progress further.

The side also has the potential to do well in Tests, according to Alam, and should aim at pushing the game to the fifth day and getting more draws out of their opponents.

"We have pushed teams like Pakistan [in 2003], done well in West Indies [in 2004] and almost won against Australia here in Fatullah last year," he said.

Alam played two one-dayers during the tour of Sri Lanka in 1986. He was also a match-referee with the board and has been involved in coaching as well.