BCB to import 20,000-plus cricket balls

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is set to import 20,123 cricket balls for the 2026-27 season, reflecting the growing scale of the country’s cricket operations across all levels.

The demand is up by 253 balls from the 19,870 imported in the 2024-25 season, according to requisitions submitted by the board’s various departments and committees.

Cricket Operations, Women’s Wing, High Performance, Game Development, Age-Group Development, Tournament Committee and CCDM have already submitted their requirements for the new season.

The demand covers balls from 10 brands, including those required for bowling machines.

Game Development and Age-Group Development have made the biggest demand, requiring around 7,000 balls for age-group cricket, school cricket and coaching courses. Of that, around 2,300 balls will be needed for school cricket alone.

The CCDM, which oversees the five-tier club cricket structure, has sought around 2,500 balls, while the Women’s Wing will require approximately 700 for its expanded programme.

The Tournament Committee has also increased its demand, requiring around 2,000 balls to conduct nine tournaments during the season.

As in previous seasons, the relevant committees have requested Kookaburra balls for international matches as well as the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPDCL), National Cricket League (NCL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

The BCB will import 5,376 Kookaburra balls alone. Other brands on the list include India’s SG and SF, and Pakistan’s CA.

A Kookaburra ball will cost the BCB A$140, roughly Tk12,212, while the cheapest option, the CA Super Test, is priced at US$8.50, or around Tk1,046.

The BCB has opted not to import Duke balls this season, as the brand is primarily used in England. A Duke ball costs around US$85, or approximately Tk10,460.

These figures, obtained by Daily Sun after speaking to several people involved in the board’s cricket operations, do not include the additional tax and freight charges that the BCB will have to bear.

The scale of the latest requirement marks a sharp contrast with the early days of Bangladesh cricket, when the board struggled to procure enough balls for its expanding domestic and international programmes.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the BCB supplied match balls for international fixtures and national and youth championships, while clubs had to arrange their own supplies for Dhaka league cricket. On occasions, two different brands were even used in the two innings of the same match.

The shortage resurfaced during Bangladesh’s 2003 tour of Australia, when then BCB Development Committee chairman Arafat Rahman Koko personally purchased rejected Kookaburra balls from the manufacturer’s factory at nominal prices to support age-group cricket and national-team preparations.