Mickey Arthur, the coach who led Pakistan to their Champions Trophy win, has taken on a new challenge with Bangladesh cricket. At the end of October, Arthur joined Rangpur Riders as their head coach. In his very first assignment, he guided the team to victory in the Global Super League in the West Indies. Now, his focus shifts to the BPL, set to begin on December 30, and preparations are already underway. Amid his busy schedule, Arthur spoke with the media today at the Bashundhara Sports Complex in Dhaka.
During the conversation, Arthur shared his thoughts on Rangpur Riders, Bangladesh cricket, and the BPL. Drawing from his experience coaching Dhaka Dynamites in 2015, Arthur expressed his enjoyment of both the country and the league, saying, ‘I enjoy Bangladesh. It’s a fantastic competition. The standard of cricket here has improved significantly, and it’s getting better every day. The BPL is an amazing tournament.’
Arthur considers his team one of the favorites, largely because of their success in the Global Super League. Explaining his confidence, he said, ‘Like everyone else, we’re here to win the title. But I know other teams are strong too. Of course, we want to carry forward the momentum from the Global Super League. We’ve had some time together, and the players are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. That preparation gives us an edge over others.’
Having returned to coach a Bangladeshi team after nine years, Arthur revealed that he has been keeping an eye on the BPL. ‘I’ve followed the BPL over the years. I coached Dhaka Dynamites in 2015, and though that was a long time ago, I’ve stayed updated. The key here is adapting to the conditions quickly. The wickets tend to get slower and lower as the tournament progresses, so adapting to that is my main focus.’
Arthur believes that local players will play a decisive role in the league. ‘Winning this league will depend on the performance of local players. Each team has seven local cricketers in the XI, which is a significant advantage. Every team is strong. Barishal, for instance, is outstanding. They have a great mix of local and international players—practically a national-level team—with stars like Shaheen Afridi, Kyle Mayers, Mohammad Nabi, Faheem Ashraf, Dawid Malan, and James Fuller. But in T20 cricket, anything can happen.’
While he acknowledges Barishal as favorites, Arthur remains optimistic about Rangpur. ‘I know my players. They’re talented, and if they play to their potential, we’ll be very hard to beat. But the first goal is to secure a spot in the top four.’
Rangpur, however, will miss Soumya Sarkar at the start of the tournament due to an injury sustained during Bangladesh’s West Indies tour. Arthur admitted Soumya’s absence will be felt. ‘We won’t have Soumya for the first part of the BPL. He was in brilliant form during the Global Super League and carried that into the West Indies tour. It’s disappointing not to have him, but this opens up opportunities for others. We have two strong overseas openers, Taylor and Hales, who can step up. Atal from Afghanistan will also join us. Still, having Soumya from the start would’ve been ideal.’
Arthur also praised Rangpur’s young talents, including pacer Nahid Rana and U19 Asia Cup-winning captain Azizul Hakim. On Nahid Rana, Arthur said, ‘He’s incredible to watch. Great pace and all the qualities of a good bowler. I’m eager to see how he performs in match situations—when to bowl bouncers, when to go for yorkers. He has the skill, and I’d love to play him in every match of the tournament.’
About Azizul Hakim, Arthur added, ‘He’s an impressive cricketer—truly exciting. He can bat, he can bowl, and he’s very young. I watched him during the U19 Asia Cup, and I believe he has immense potential to become a top player.’
