Groundsmen of the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram and Sylhet International Cricket Stadium are seen working on Thursday. — BCB photos

The over three-month break from cricketing activities has given the over-used international and first-class grounds of the country some respite and allowed the groundsmen to breathe some new life into the venues.

The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka is the busiest cricket ground in Bangladesh as it hosts majority of Bangladesh’s international home fixtures and domestic tournaments like Bangladesh Premier League, Dhaka Premier League etc.

Beside international and domestic matches, the facility also serves as the main practice pit for the Tigers.

Due to the busy schedule, maintaining the ground’s standard and carrying out required repair work was difficult.

But the cricketing shutdown, which has been in place since mid-March, has provided an unprecedented opportunity for the ground keepers to do those maintenance works and their hard work has transformed the brownish looking outfield to a lush green one.

Senior national manager grounds, Syed Abdul Baten, told New Age that they were working hard to keep the ground in primo condition.

‘Normally, when there is an international series going on, it is difficult to carry on the maintenance work.  As there are no matches going on, we carried out major maintenance work. Now once the grasses which were looking brownish are looking lush green’.

The outfield of Sher-e-Bangla has faced some criticism in the past, as it was rated poor by the match officials after a Test match against Australia in 2017.

The unpredictable nature of Mirpur’s wicket has also miffed the local players over the years.

Baten couldn’t say anything about the wicket but was confident that the outfield would now be lightning fast.

‘I can’t say much about the wicket as that is the curator’s art but if you ask about the outfield, I will say ball will travel fast as the grasses are greener than ever.’

Zahid Reza Babu, curator of the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, echoed Baten’s sentiment, saying the break will help all cricket grounds.

‘Though unwanted but these break periods will certainly help the grounds. It gives the chance for re-adjusting the drainage system, uprooting the dead grassroots, evening the outfield and so on. It’s a long process and before there is a heavy flow of matches, this gap time is being utilised perfectly.’

Venue manager of Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Joydip Das Suchak said that they were ready to host matches whenever the board wanted.

‘After the government holiday ended, we have been active in venue maintenance. Our staffs are working with health safety measures. We have all the resources to follow the BCB guidelines. The development work of outer stadium is also going on. We are ready to host matches at any level.’