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BCB PHOTO
"Have you seen that?"
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Tamim Iqbal asked his board’s game development committee chairman Fahim Sinha in excitement when an Under-17 cricketer jumped to his right to save a run against Bangladesh Under-19.
The scene unfolded during the inaugural match of the three-team age-level tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Friday. Former Bangladesh captain Tamim seemed to be full of energy as he launched the tournament that features the Under-23 side as the third team.
There were a lot of talks when BCB set up the tournament titled Game Development Trophy 2026.
Many felt inside his board that it was not a wise idea to bring Under-17 team in the tournament taking their age into consideration, though Tamim begs to differ.
“Let's forget about the outcome, don't you feel for an Under-17 cricketer playing at the venue where they have seen their idols perform is a huge mental boost for them at this early stage?” he pointed out when his attention was drawn by Daily Sun during the course of the game on the first day of the weekend.
“They are surely excited as they are playing at Sher-e- Bangla National Cricket Stadium, moreover, these matches are being streamed live so I hope they will be recognised in a different manner when they return home,” he said.
“Last year, our Under-17 squad played just five competitive matches altogether against another opponent. At least keeping that in mind, I hope they will be playing many more matches than what they did in the previous year,” he added.
Hannan Sarkar, currently guiding the Under-19 squad as head coach after completing his stint with the Under-17 side earlier, acknowledged the number of matches as informed by the board president.
“We (previous Under-17 squad) played three one-day games and two T20 matches against Sri Lanka last time. Apart from that, we just played intra-squad matches. Taking that into account, these games will certainly provide them with an opportunity to play more matches than before,” said Hannan.
“The gap between Under-17 and Under-19 is huge so there is no point talking about the result, but at the same time the exposure that we are trying to provide will surely help them in long run,” he added. Bangladesh Under-19 won the match by 246 runs as they bundled their opponent out for 83 in 29.1 overs after posting 329-8 in stipulated 43 overs, riding on left-handed batter SK Zarif Siyam, who made 99 and missed out on a well-deserved century having been run out. However, the result took a back seat for the Under-17 cricketers as they were enjoying the moment to the fullest, if not anything else.
“I never expected to play at this venue in this early stage,” noted Under-17 leg-spinner Muhammad Abdullah.
His father Anwar, a carpenter by profession who came from Kishoreganj to see his son play, echoed the same sentiment.
“I didn't expect to see him so quickly but I was confident that he would have surely played here at some stage of his life,” he proudly stated, adding that it is one of the most biggest days of his life. The same rang true for everyone else.
Their emotions validate the fact that it was a great measure taken by the board to promote cricket and give them an opportunity to play a tournament that they are expected to keep close to their heart for a long time.
“It's a great opportunity, I think. They've never played in this kind of tournament before. Under-17 is a stage for development. The real competition usually comes a year or a year and a half later. Giving them a sense of confidence early on helps them believe they can compete at this level,” former national batter Tushar Imran, who is guiding the current Under-17 squad, told reporters during the break.
“They (Under-17 cricketers) were excited initially and they weren't quite in their usual flow, playing in front of TV cameras, but gradually, as this habit builds up, they'll learn,” he said. “Tamim spoke with everyone yesterday (Thursday) and pointed out that this is a great opportunity for them,” he explained.
During the game, Tamim went to the dressing room to check out what they were doing, as well as have a chat with them in order to inspire the cricketers of tomorrow. Yesterday's was an occasion focusing on the future as it very much lies here with the different age-level cricketers, and thus, the excitement in his voice was no surprise at all.