Dhaka: Ireland’s veteran allrounder Paul Stirling believes the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) helps the country’s young cricketers to prepare them systematically for national duty. The 34-year-old seasoned player observed this from his decade-long experience of playing in Bangladesh’s flagship event.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Stirling, who began his BPL journey in the 2012-2013 season, has already played for three teams, with his latest stint being with the Sylhet Strikers. Despite not being in good form this season, as his side has already exited from the playoffs race, Stirling remains optimistic about the league’s role in nurturing young talent. He stated, “I think this is a great initiative for Bangladesh to look into the youth system and try and help prepare the next cricketer for national duty.”
Stirling has long been recognized as a formidable cricketing talent both in Ireland and beyond. Born in Belfast, he made his ODI debut at the age of just 17 and played for Ireland in the World Twenty20 in England in 2009. Before his 23rd birthday, Stirling had already hit two ODI centuries against Pakistan, and his 134-ball 177 for Ireland against Canada in Toronto remains the highest ODI score made by an Irishman.
Having played in various T20 tournaments worldwide, Stirling found Bangladeshi fans to be the most passionate about their country’s cricket. He was not surprised by the huge crowds at the stadiums during almost all BPL matches. This year, the BPL adopted an online cricketing system, which earned appreciation from fans for its convenience, and the stadium atmosphere was more spectator-friendly than in the past.
The standard of the pitch is another factor that made this BPL more attractive than previous editions. Almost all matches saw a considerable amount of runs, which were sometimes chased with ease. In the past two seasons, the BPL faced criticism for poor pitches, but this time, local and overseas players, including Stirling, expressed appreciation.
Stirling also praised his franchise, Sylhet Strikers, for their supportive environment despite mediocre results. He noted, “Sylhet probably provides one of the best atmospheres so far, they really got behind us as a team and they backed their players as much as possible.”
Currently languishing at the bottom of the table, Sylhet has one match left against Chittagong Kings, scheduled for Thursday. Stirling, who had an ordinary outing this season with only 24 runs in five matches, acknowledged the team’s efforts despite the challenges. “Exactly I think that’s the case (ups and downs) and every player gave their best and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. We actually needed to perform a little bit better.”