Domestic stalwart Marshall Ayub recently became only the fourth Bangladeshi batter -- after Tushar Imran, Naeem Islam and Mominul Haque -- to reach 10,000 first-class runs. The 36-year-old, who played just three Tests for Bangladesh between 2013 and 2014, never received a second opportunity despite consistently performing in domestic cricket. In a recent conversation with The Daily Star's Samsul Arefin Khan, Marshall discussed his milestone, the disappointments of his international career, and other aspects of his journey. Excerpts follow:
The Daily Star (DS): How satisfying is this achievement?
Marshall Ayub (MA): This is definitely a big achievement for me. Only four or five cricketers in Bangladesh have reached this mark. A few of us -- Farhad Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, and I -- were all around 9,000 runs. We used to say that reaching 10,000 runs is a major landmark in Bangladesh's first-class cricket. So, I'm very happy to finally achieve it.
DS: How difficult was it to reach this milestone?
MA: When we started, we used to play 10 four-day matches in the NCL (National Cricket League). Now we play seven there, plus a few matches in the BCL (Bangladesh Cricket League) only if the tournament takes place.
And in the last four or five years, rain washed out two or three matches almost every season. These disruptions and the reduced number of matches made things challenging.
Another big challenge was playing with the Duke ball in the last four or five years. It swings more and gives fast bowlers a bigger advantage, so big innings are rare. Maintaining fitness over a long career is also tough. Considering everything, it was challenging from all angles to reach 10,000 runs.
DS: As someone who mainly plays first-class cricket, how do you manage the off-season period?
MA: After the Dhaka Premier League ends, we usually take a break for one to one-and-a-half months. Then we focus heavily on fitness and skill work...
Earlier, leagues used to take place in cities like Sylhet, Chattogram, Khulna, and Rajshahi. But for many years, those leagues haven't happened regularly. So we spend most of the off-season working on fitness. For the last two or three years, I've been training with [Yakub Chowdhury] Dalim bhai, who has helped me a lot. That's how the off-season goes.
DS: Your international career was short.
MA: I was dropped around 2014-15. After that, I became the highest run-scorer in both the BCL and NCL, but I wasn't called up again. Even when I performed consistently for two years, nothing happened. It still hurts when I think about it.
I had entered the national team around 2012–13 after scoring over 1,000 runs and two double hundreds in one season. I got the call partly because someone was injured. After that, the selectors completely sidelined me. Even when I performed consistently for two years after being dropped, nothing happened. That's when a player understands that the selectors don't have him in their plans.
Players like us don't have many facilities; I grew up in Dhaka but sometimes couldn't use the Mirpur indoor facilities. If we had more support and better facilities, maybe I could have reached 10,000 runs one or two seasons earlier. Being underestimated like that is painful.
DS: You were unlucky not to get more chances compared to young players at present.
MA: Of course. I'm a middle-order batsman, but internationally I was made to bat at number three. I didn't get to play in my usual position. Sometimes that feels very painful. But still, Alhamdulillah -- I don't complain. I blame myself. In those matches, I got out for 30 or 40. If I could have turned those into big scores, maybe I would have played more matches.
DS: Why do young players today show less interest in first-class cricket?
MA: Players in the national team who play all formats find it difficult to play four-day matches. They want breaks for family. Another reason is match fees, which are low compared to other countries.
A young player can earn almost the same amount from T20 competitions elsewhere. Even in the NCL, the match fee for T20s went up to around Tk 40,000 while for four-day matches we get Tk 80,000. You get just Tk 5,000 extra for spending four days on the field.
In modern cricket, youngsters prefer white-ball formats. That's why interest in four-day cricket is low.
DS: How do you see the current state of domestic cricket in Bangladesh?
MA: When we started, our seniors used to say our wickets were not good -- they favoured spinners too much. Recently, the wickets have improved slightly. We're a Test-playing nation for 25 years, yet our first-class wickets have only improved in the last two or three years. If we want to develop and truly enjoy Test cricket, we must have sporting wickets in domestic cricket. And again, if the match fees improve, players will take first-class cricket more seriously.
DS: How long do you see yourself continuing?
MA: I haven't thought about international cricket for seven or eight years. I play for my family; sometimes they come to watch, and my children enjoy it -- that motivates me. Players like me, Naeem [Islam] bhai, and Shuvo [Shamsur Rahman] know one bad year can make people say our time is over, so we take that as a challenge. As long as I enjoy the game, I want to continue playing red-ball cricket.
