Glimpses of talent amid administrative hiccups
The hits and misses of Bangladesh's 2013-14 domestic season

Mominul Haque was a rare consistent factor for Bangladesh in an otherwise indifferent season • Associated Press
The season began in September with the Dhaka Premier Division 2012-13, which was played after a long delay. Gazi Tank Cricketers dominated both rounds of the tournament, and were given a timely lift by Eoin Morgan. Before him, the likes of Imrul Kayes, Raqibul Hasan and Arafat Sunny kept Gazi Tank on top of the points table.
For thirty-six years, the Dhaka Premier Division has been the main event in Bangladesh's domestic system. The club-based one-day competition, however, was never recognised as the official List-A tournament. There are no match and individual records of previous seasons, as there was never an effort to keep track of statistics.
In a season which started well for the senior side but ended disastrously, Mominul Haque's progress as a batsman was the most positive aspect. He was the only batsman to score more than 1000 first-class runs and led the scoring charts.
There have been seven scores of 200-plus in Bangladesh during this season, five of them by local batsmen in the first-class tournaments. Shamsur Rahman got close to a triple century with a blazing 267 off 286 balls in BKSP, but he missed the opportunity with a top-edged pull. Farhad Reza, Taibur Rahman, Imrul and Asif Ahmed were the other four double-hundred scorers.
The flip side of the run-glut is that the highest level of domestic cricket in Bangladesh is usually played on flat, batting-friendly pitches. There is no sideways movement unless a highly-skilled pace bowler operates with the new ball in the first session. Statistically, pace bowling has accounted for less than 33% of all bowling in this season.
Offspinner Sohag Gazi remains a glimmer of hope in a set-up dominated by left-arm spinners. The top six, and seven of the top ten, wicket-takers in first-class cricket are all left-arm spinners. Taijul Islam and Abdur Razzak have taken more than 50 wickets in the two first-class tournaments, while Monir Hossain of Barisal was NCL's highest wicket-taker.
According to the BCB's books, the Dhaka Premier Division 2012-13 was held in the 2013-14 season, between September and November last year. So where does has Dhaka Premier Division 2013-14 go? Again, according to the BCB, it has been shifted to the start of the 2014-15 season.
The by-product of a 347-run seventh-wicket stand is the expectation that follows both batsmen whenever they go out to bat again. Regardless of the unnecessary hope, what Sanjamul Islam and Farhad Reza did during the Rajshahi-Chittagong NCL match was stunning.
In the post-Test status era, the first significant batch to emerge from Bangladesh's age-group pool included Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal, among others.
The general uproar in Bangladesh cricket is usually about lack of venues and good pitches. While the pitches are yet to match the desired level, there are now more first-class venues. Fifteen venues have been used this season and four were used for international matches. Two new grounds have been completed in BKSP, north of Dhaka, while the much-awaited stadium in Cox's Bazar is up and running.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84