Going to the dogs
Bangladesh is now engrossed in the glamour and entertainment surrounding the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The presence of local and international stars and the media attention provides a wealth of 'cricketainment' for fans. Therefore it is understandable that the 38th National Cricket Championship (NCC) was completely overshadowed by the cash-rich T20 tournament. Still, it is hard to comprehend that the NCC fixtures, where 64 districts participated in the first round before only eight moved on to the second round, took place in such a ground at the Gor-e-Shahid Boro Math in Dinajpur where stray dogs, cows and goats entered of their own volition and the outfield turned out to be a risky one.
The tournament, which began on November 20, falls under the jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) while the District Sports Association (DSA) in Dinajpur hosted the second round matches, featuring Jessore, Chittagong, Nilphamari and Munshiganj, that ended with an encounter between Munshiganj and Nilphamari yesterday. Jessore have set up a showdown with Rajshahi in the final on November 30 at Pabna by emerging champions from the Dinajpur phase.
However, various team officials and players have expressed frustration over the poorly managed competition, saying that it was very irritating for them to see animals enter at random during their matches while adding that it is not fair to arrange a tournament on an uneven ground.
On the condition of anonymity, a pace bowler from Jessore said: “The ground was too hard and uneven for a proper cricket match but I believe it could have been a little better had the authorities nursed it properly beforehand. I played a few matches at the Dinajpur Stadium before and that ground was better than this one, so I cannot understand why the organisers chose this ground.”
Meanwhile, a former national player said that the wicket was actually a really good one as it provided good bounce and carry for pacers but the condition of the outfield paired with poor management mars the event.
When attention was drawn regarding the issue to Dollar Majumdar, secretary of Dinajpur DSA, he said that the pitch of the Dinajpur Stadium was not ready and also dismissed the notion that stray animals entered the ground during the match.
“The organisers could have easily surrounded the ground with something like barbwire to prevent animals from entering. I think the authorities should also take care of the accommodation and food,” said another player, who also preferred not to be named.
Despite the fact that players such as Mohammad Ashraful, Tushar Imran and Syed Rasel are participating, the contest has gotten very little publicity.
“I am a cricket fan but only came to know today [Monday] that national cricket matches are being played in Dinajpur and Ashraful played here,” said Rafiqul Islam.
Everyone involved, seemingly with the exception of the organisers, believe that this tournament deserved better treatment from the concerned authorities as a large number of the cricket fraternity flocked from all over the country to participate.
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