DHAKA, Sept 28, 2019 (BSS)-The debate over new fitness test marking for
being included in the National Cricket League (NCL) continued, as the
cricketers outside national team remained fazed by it.
The fitness test is normally done through the beep Test which is a multi-
stage fitness test used to measure cardiovascular fitness and maximum oxygen
uptake. It is commonly used by coaches and trainers to measure athlete
fitness.
Bangladesh Cricket Board recently have instructed that cricketers of the
30-member preliminary squad of respective divisions for the upcoming NCL will
have to get 11 in the beep test if they want to be included in the 18-member
squad that will take part in the NCL.
The new marking system is said to be the brain child of High Performance
Unit head coach Simon Helmut as he made the proposal to the tournament
committee for the competition, scheduled to start from October 7.
Chief selector Minhajul Abedin had approved the idea and in the process it
was granted for execution. While the national players do not have any problem
with it, players outside the national team said that they don’t have the
facilities like the national players to get training all the year round and
keep them fit.
Most of the players get training facilities just ahead of the NCL or any
other tournament and so it becomes tougher for them to pass the new fitness
test marking.
Last year, the BCB gave a standard of 9 in beep test which has been
increased to 11 this year, which sparked the debate.
But Arafat Sunny, the former national player and a known face in domestic
cricket league believes the board will give them second chance if they
couldn’t pass in the test.
“Last year when someone couldn’t cross the hurdle of 9, they were given
second chance. So I believe this year also the board will give us same
opportunity,” Arafat Sunny said here on Saturday.
The beep test for the upcoming NCL will be held in October 1, Sunny said.
“It is a good system and I hope that I can overcome the test. If I can’t,
I believe I deserve a second chance.”
Fast bowler Mohammad Sharif, who is also a regular face in NCL after being
discarded from the national team, was more critical in his assessment.
“They said that we should get 11 in beep test. Now suppose if one gets 14
but he couldn’t play the league due to match fitness, then what will happen?
There was many instance that a player got 8 or 9 in beep test but scored
double hundred and took 10 wickets in the original match,” he said, adding
that the beep test could never prove anyone as a fit player.