Saturday, 21 December, 2024
An initiative has been launched to identify cricket talent from the grassroots level and strengthen the country's cricketing pipeline through the Zia Cricket Tournament, which is set to begin on November 10.
The tournament will feature two teams from each of Bangladesh’s 10 divisions, who will compete against each other for a chance to qualify for the next round. Following this, two teams from Dhaka—Dhaka North and Dhaka South—will join the 10 divisional teams in the final round, scheduled to take place from January 16 to 19.
The tournament's final will be held on January 19, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, the announcer of Bangladesh’s independence.
"The development of cricket in independent Bangladesh began during the era of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. On January 7, 1977, an MCC team visited Bangladesh for a three-day match, marking the country’s first step onto the international cricket stage," said Aminul Haque, former national football team captain and advisor of the tournament, during a press conference at a local hotel in the city. "The final match will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium," he added.
Debbrata Paul, the tournament's member secretary, explained that cricketers unavailable for their divisional teams in the ongoing National Cricket League (NCL) will participate in the tournament.
"Each divisional team typically has 35 players, but only 15 can play in the match, while the remaining 20 train with the team. We’ve coordinated with the coaches and divisional authorities to ensure their availability for the tournament. If they are called up by the divisional or national teams, we will release them immediately," he said.
Current and former national cricketers have been invited to inaugurate the tournament in Bogra on November 10. National opener Tamim Iqbal and former cricketer Mohammad Ashraful, who is also part of the tournament committee, are expected to officiate at the event.
"We want to keep sports free from politics. Under the previous Awami League government, politics severely impacted the sports sector, leading to a significant decline. We aim to restore the golden era of our sports and cricket," Aminul Haque stated, adding that cricketers would be provided with the same facilities offered to first-class players.
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An initiative has been launched to identify cricket talent from the grassroots level and strengthen the country's cricketing pipeline through the Zia Cricket Tournament, which is set to begin on November 10.
The tournament will feature two teams from each of Bangladesh’s 10 divisions, who will compete against each other for a chance to qualify for the next round. Following this, two teams from Dhaka—Dhaka North and Dhaka South—will join the 10 divisional teams in the final round, scheduled to take place from January 16 to 19.
The tournament's final will be held on January 19, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, the announcer of Bangladesh’s independence.
"The development of cricket in independent Bangladesh began during the era of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. On January 7, 1977, an MCC team visited Bangladesh for a three-day match, marking the country’s first step onto the international cricket stage," said Aminul Haque, former national football team captain and advisor of the tournament, during a press conference at a local hotel in the city. "The final match will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium," he added.
Debbrata Paul, the tournament's member secretary, explained that cricketers unavailable for their divisional teams in the ongoing National Cricket League (NCL) will participate in the tournament.
"Each divisional team typically has 35 players, but only 15 can play in the match, while the remaining 20 train with the team. We’ve coordinated with the coaches and divisional authorities to ensure their availability for the tournament. If they are called up by the divisional or national teams, we will release them immediately," he said.
Current and former national cricketers have been invited to inaugurate the tournament in Bogra on November 10. National opener Tamim Iqbal and former cricketer Mohammad Ashraful, who is also part of the tournament committee, are expected to officiate at the event.
"We want to keep sports free from politics. Under the previous Awami League government, politics severely impacted the sports sector, leading to a significant decline. We aim to restore the golden era of our sports and cricket," Aminul Haque stated, adding that cricketers would be provided with the same facilities offered to first-class players.
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