In his latest blog for PakPassion.net, fast bowling coach Ian Pont speaks about back to back successes for him and the Dhaka Gladiators at the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the importance of the BPL for the development of cricket in Bangladesh and his hopes that the Dhaka Gladiators are given the opportunity to play in this year’s Champions League Twenty20.

By Ian Pont (25th Febraury 2013)

BPL2 was interesting for a few reasons. The first reason being that to return and defend the Bangladesh Premier League title was a wonderful thrill for me personally. This was achieved with only four of the Dhaka Gladiators squad from BPL1.

The second interesting point is that we had no Pakistani players playing for any franchises. The reliance we had at Dhaka on Imran Nazir, Rana Naved, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal last time around became Chris Gayle, Alfonso Thomas, Owais Shah and Darren Stevens, as the enforced boycott of Pakistani players' participation by the Pakistan Cricket Board meant the door opened for players from elsewhere.

I have been asked "was BPL2 better than BPL1?" And for many reasons it really was. The Chittagong crowds were amazing. The noise they made was staggering and many who played under lights there said they had never experienced such an atmosphere. You literally couldn't hear what someone sitting next to you was saying during the matches. The third venue at Khulna was a welcome facility - if only the road out of Jessore airport had been cared for. BPL2 took cricket out into new parts of Bangladesh though and the crowds came out to support it in great numbers which bodes well for the future of cricket in Bangladesh. It's important that cricket is spread out of the main cities in Bangladesh and this will definitely help in the development of cricketers.

There was the thrill of seeing Shaun Tait steaming in to bowl and compatriot Dirk Nannes, also fresh from success in the Big Bash, trying to get to grips with the easy paced batting tracks in Bangladesh. More English players like Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright came to try to show what they could do, with great T20 specialists like Ryan ten Doeschate and Paul Stirling making a real difference with the bat.

But the greatest achievement was the continued development of local players, many of whom were relative unknowns to the crowds in Bangladesh and further afield before the competition started. As with last year's BPL, when Bangladesh narrowly lost to Pakistan in the Asia Cup Final, this year's BPL has given a real boost to the Bangladesh players ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka. Selection for that tour, rather than being very obvious, has now become a great deal more interesting for the BCB.

The BPL, regardless of any payment issues, is a good re-launching pad for stalled careers, as both Mohammed Sami and Imran Nazir discovered last year. It can also be a difficult place to perform as Ravi Bopara discovered. For that reason alone, it is always worth a visit - one way or the other.

The records show Dhaka Gladiators as back-to-back BPL Champions. So we clearly got something right. It is never easy to return and repeat success though, so credit goes to all the support staff and players for making that happen. After all, it is only by working as a unit that you get the results you want. Having Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe, Ashraful and Anamul clearly helped. To have four such talented players as locals gives you a strong base to operate from.

I hope that the Champions League is on the cards later this year and that the BPL winners are allowed to take part in that competition. It would be great for the Dhaka squad to show the world what they are made of on such a big stage.

I'd like to have the opportunity to coach a team at the Champions League and I really hope to be a part of the ongoing success of the Dhaka Gladiators.

Discuss!