Former New Zealand pacer Danny Morrison, mostly known for his over-the-top commentary, is back in Bangladesh after six years for the ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League T20. The 58-year-old, on Monday, spoke to The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan regarding his views on the omission of Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan from the Champions Trophy squad, Bangladesh’s pace unit revolution and much more. Following are the excerpts from the interview:

DS: The day you arrived in Bangladesh, Liton Das played a gem of an innings and records tumbled in that match between Dhaka Capitals and Durbar Rajshahi. Must have enjoyed the game a lot.

DM: I think it’s always like this under the lights once dew factor comes in. So at night the ball slides on which is great for the batters. And obviously the crowd loves it to be honest. The fours and sixes, entertainment, tough for the bowlers. Liton was left out of the Champions Trophy side, so probably mentally it was good for him. It’s like, ‘come on man and I’ll show you that I’m still worth something and got the ability’.

DS: When someone gets dropped, how challenging is it for them to overcome the situation?

DM: That’s the pinnacle. You want to play for your country. Even though now it’s a bit different because of franchise cricket all around, but for someone like Liton, wanting to play for Bangladesh is important. So he should have his own pride of his performance and understand what you try to achieve from the game because you can’t play forever. So you have a small window and I think that probably motivated Liton last night [Sunday] just to show them. And he got the conditions too that suited him.

DS: How much will Bangladesh miss Shakib Al Hasan in the Champions Trophy?

DM: What I will say is that it’s very unique here. I have seen all around the sub-continent, in terms of being in the politics, it’s very challenging if you are involved in politics and you are still playing cricket. It’s better to retire and then go into politics. There is also his bowling action. That’s just the thing you can tidy up. So I expect Shakib to be back. He is a very competitive player….he is a good enough player to come back and still play.

DS: Bangladesh is producing many fast bowlers in recent times. How do you evaluate the pace revolution in Bangladesh?

DM: Taskin [Ahmed] is very useful with all his experiences coming into the fold. The fizz [Mustafizur Rahman] is still around and doing his thing. Everyone loves a left-armer, right? I think because of the people you used, you got Courtney Walsh and Allan Donald as coaches. So you find pedigree in terms of overseas coaches to develop your quick bowlers. I think that looking for outside help and resources can create and develop guys and it’s exciting.

DS: What about Nahid Rana?

DM: You got to hold onto it. That’s gold, pure gold. It’s quite freakish. Pakistanis got few over time. And do you think it’s about DNA? Not really. There is an argument whether a sprinter is made or a sprinter is born. Some guys will have a timing or action and have the athleticism to do that. I think he is just one of those.

DS: Four franchise tournaments are running concurrently across the world. Why did you choose BPL?

DM: My work area is subcontinent, UAE and the West Indies. I do these tournaments. I’m a little bit of a showman and have fun with the crowds and being interviewed or doing these. I have been coming here since 1987. I think It helps if you embrace the culture. I love the food, the people and the noise and the passion.