‘We all love you’
"He left me alone."
Veteran coach Osman Khan could not hold back tears as he struggled to utter those few words about his long-term comrade Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury, who breathed his last on Tuesday at the age of 74.
Osman Khan could add only a few more words in tribute after Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury's body was brought to Bangabandhu National Stadium in the afternoon. Borrowing those words, many in the cricket fraternity who were close to Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury or fans of his lucid writing could easily say he left us alone.
How can one imagine a life in the cricket arena without the lyrical descriptions from this versatile personality! Will we not miss his captivating mini-previews on Facebook ahead of matches? It will be equally hard to believe that we will not read anything charming after any cricket match, regardless of whether Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat.
His richness of Bengali words amused many generations and alas we will not be surprised any more by an unfamiliar use of words and ask ourselves where he got it from. Without a doubt, our cricket literature will be poorer without his words.
But cricket and Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury cannot be separated.
He was a former cricketer, coach and organiser in addition to being an eminent sports writer. Renowned sports journalist Utpal Shuvro rightly added another category to his profile, that of 'cricket philosopher'. When someone could not think of life without cricket and did everything for the game, sacrificing material achievements out of pure love for the game, he is undoubtedly a cricket philosopher.
That is why former pacer Golam Nowsher wrote on Facebook: "Today I lost one of my most important personalities, whose contribution to every step in my life is undeniable. Jalal Bhai, you will be remembered. We all love you."
Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury started in the Dhaka League for Udity Club in the mid-1960s and went on to play for Young Pegasus, Town Club and Dhanmondi Club and represented Bangladesh Railway in the National Championship competition. He was a member of the first Bangladesh side in post-independence Bangladesh (Tour of MCC in 1977).
Then he coached prominent Dhaka League teams including Abahani and Mohammedan and had been associated with the national team on a number of occasions. He was one of the coaches of the Bangladesh 1979 and 1997 ICC Trophy squads. He was the head coach of Bangladesh in the ICC U19 World Cup in 2002.
However, all that information hardly reflected Chowdhury's life because his influence on many generations of cricketers and cricket writers is immeasurable.
"I made a hundred against Wari Club in 1978 and suddenly received an envelope while I was watching a football match. It contained a one hundred taka note and a few encouraging words. It was from Jalal Bhai, who left for Patiala to do his diploma in cricket coaching. He was a fatherly figure in our cricket," former Bangladesh captain Gazi Ashraf Hossain said.
This was the true character of Chowdhury. He tried to appreciate even a small contribution towards cricket, but always in a silent manner which embodied the spirit of the gentleman's game.
Cricketing life will be a little less bright without him.
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