Youth and Sports Minister Aminul Haque on Tuesday said the current leadership of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would bring greater dynamism to the development of cricket in the country, with particular emphasis on strengthening the national team's batting unit.
Replying to a tabled question from Cumilla-9 MP Abul Kalam in Parliament, the minister said the BCB had adopted a long-term strategy to improve the technical, tactical and mental skills of batsmen from age-group teams through to the High Performance unit, Bangladesh 'A' team and the national side.
Abul Kalam had asked what measures the government had taken to address the recurring batting failures of the national cricket team and identify weaknesses to enhance Bangladesh's international standing.
In response, Aminul said a cricket team's success depended on collective performances in batting, bowling and fielding, requiring sustained long-term planning.
He said the BCB was regularly appointing experienced local and international coaches, physiotherapists, trainers and analysts while conducting continuous training, technology-based performance analysis and monitoring programmes to improve batting standards.
"As a result, several positive outcomes have already become visible in recent times," he said.
The minister said Bangladesh had been producing competitive performances across all formats of international cricket and had recently secured important victories and series wins against strong teams such as Pakistan and Australia.
He also highlighted the achievements of the Bangladesh women's national team, including their victory over Pakistan in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026.
Aminul said national team batsmen had also contributed match-winning innings on various occasions, while emerging players from age-group competitions, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the Dhaka Premier League and other domestic tournaments were strengthening the national batting line-up.
FIFA ranking
Responding to a question from NCP MP Hasnat Abdullah, the minister said Bangladesh currently ranked 181st in the FIFA rankings, improving from 192nd in 2023.
He said FIFA rankings largely depended on the number of international matches played, the quality of opponents and results achieved.
While leading football nations typically play between 12 and 15 international matches annually, Bangladesh played only eight internationals in 2025, he said.
Aminul attributed the limited number of matches to financial constraints, noting that the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) relied on funding from FIFA, the AFC and sponsors, while organising international fixtures and overseas tours remained expensive.
He said Bangladesh's ranking could improve further by playing more international matches and achieving positive results against stronger opponents.
The minister also pointed to recent progress in the national football team, saying the inclusion of expatriate footballers Hamza Choudhury, Somit Som and Fahmidul Islam had strengthened the squad.
He noted that Bangladesh defeated European nation San Marino 2-1 on June 5 during an overseas tour, describing it as the country's first-ever victory over a European team, that was notched up after the BNP government assumed office. The result generated fresh enthusiasm among football supporters, Aminul said.
Reviving kabaddi
Replying to a question from reserved-seat MP Selina Sultana, Aminul acknowledged that although kabaddi remained Bangladesh's national sport, its popularity among younger generations had declined.
He said the ministry had taken regular initiatives to revive the sport by making the Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation more active and organising competitions at the local level.
The minister said many successful kabaddi players had been brought under the government's sports allowance programme, while the ministry was considering expanding training and other support to improve their performance.
He also said the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education had been requested to make sports compulsory from Class IV and include football, cricket, kabaddi, swimming and athletics in the national curriculum.
Youth employment
Responding to a question from Jamaat MP Syed Zainul Abedin, the minister said trained young men and women could receive loans ranging from Tk100,000 to Tk500,000 under the Department of Youth Development's credit programme to establish or expand self-employment ventures based on demand.
He said the ministry was implementing several projects in Dhaka and other metropolitan areas to create employment opportunities, including mobile phone servicing and foreign language training, caregiver training with overseas employment prospects, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based skills development for IT-literate youth.