Fortune Barishal captain Tamim Iqbal has expressed his dissatisfaction with the shortened boundaries at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, despite being a batsman himself. His concern lies with the challenges faced by bowlers due to the reduced boundary sizes, implemented to encourage more fours, sixes, and runs in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
The noticeably small boundaries caught Tamim’s attention the moment he entered the field to inspect the pitch. Taking a closer look, he even spoke with the ground staff. After the match against Durbar Rajshahi, the veteran cricketer voiced his concerns, stating his displeasure with the strategy of reducing boundary sizes to boost scoring in the tournament.
The Sylhet Stadium’s boundaries are already not particularly large, but for this BPL season, they were reduced even further. A glaring example is the straight boundary near the press box, which barely stretches beyond 30 yards from the inner circle. This is despite there being ample unused space beyond the current boundary line.
The combination of a batting-friendly pitch and the shortened boundaries resulted in a six-hitting frenzy during the first match of the Sylhet leg. Sylhet Strikers and Rangpur Riders combined for a record 31 sixes in their game, setting a new BPL milestone. Rangpur comfortably chased down Sylhet’s 205-run target. In the second game of the day, Tamim’s Fortune Barishal chased down 168 runs against Durbar Rajshahi with 15 balls to spare. Tamim shone with an unbeaten 86 off 48 balls, earning the Player of the Match award.
As a batsman, one might assume Tamim would enjoy the smaller boundaries, but he emphasized the bigger picture.
“‘The way the ground has been prepared is good, but I want to see larger boundaries. When there’s so much space available, I don’t understand why we’re playing with 58-60 yard boundaries. In international cricket, you see boundaries of 65-70 yards, which gives bowlers a fair chance,” Tamim said.
He added, “The wicket has been excellent this season—credit to the curators for preparing such fantastic pitches. But when the wicket is this good, the boundaries should be larger, especially when there’s space to accommodate it. That way, bowlers also get a fair opportunity. Right now, there’s nothing in favor of the bowlers. I hope and pray that the decision-makers are listening and will push the boundaries back because the space is already there.”
While the additional space at the ground allows for boundary adjustments, it remains to be seen whether the decision-makers will act on Tamim’s concerns.
On Tuesday, the second day of the Sylhet leg, Rangpur Riders will take on Dhaka Capitals in the first match, followed by Tamim’s Fortune Barishal facing Sylhet Strikers in the evening.
