Bangabandhu T20 Cup kicks off tomorrow

652

DHAKA, Nov 23, 2020 (BSS)-Cricketer frenzy hits the fever pitch once again with the much-anticipated Bangabandhu T20 Cup, a five-team tournament, which rolls onto the ground tomorrow (Tuesday).

Beximco Dhaka will take on Minister Group Rajshahi in the first match of the day while Fortune Barishal will face off Gemcon Khulna in the second game. All of the matches of the tournament will be played at the ‘Home of Cricket’ Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The first match is on 1.30 PM while the second game starts on 6.30 PM. State run Bangladesh Television and country’s new sports channel T Sports will telecast the matches live.

Walton, the country’s leading electrical, electronic goods and automobiles manufacturing company, became the title sponsor of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup.

The official name of the tournament is ‘Bangabandhu T20 Cup Sponsored by Walton.’ The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will also celebrate the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the high voltage tournament.

The event is the part of the continuing initiatives of the BCB, aiming at a gradual resumption of normal cricketing activities which have been disrupted since March this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BCB is expecting that the Bangabandhu T20 Cup will be helpful in fulfilling their aspiration to bring back International cricket in the country.

The tournament will be held in bio-secure environment to keep the players, officials and other stakeholders at safe zone. The five teams and around 300 people including 80 cricketers will stay in bio-bubble till the end of the tournament. By managing such a huge number of people in a bio-bubble would be tougher task but BCB hoped they could organize it successfully to give a message to the rest of the world.

The BCB earlier successfully organized BCB President’s Cup-a one-day format tournament that included around 70 people in the bio-bubble.

“The T20 Cup is the follow-up tournament of the BCB President’s Cup. Since we have many International matches ahead, this tournament will help us to cope with the environment,” BCB media and communication committee chairman Jalal Younus said.

“We want to let the foreign teams know that we have ensured a bio-secure environment here. This tournament will help us to organize International matches in future.”

What is the important aspect of the tournament is that only local players will play the tournament. 157 local players were put into the players’ draft through which the five teams-Beximco Dhaka, Gemcon Khulna, Minster Group Rajshahi, Gazi Group Chattogram and Fortune Barishal formed their team.

The tournament is expected to provide leading and upcoming cricketers the opportunity for some quality competitive cricket in the current situation.

Bangabandhu T20 Cup will also provide the local players a platform to show their talent in the shortest format of the cricket, said the BCB director and Beximco Dhaka head coach Khaled Mahmud Sujon.

He believes the tournament at the same will serve the Bangladesh cricket also as the team management would certainly find some more players who could plug the loopholes of some certain places for the national team.

“The tournament is a good opportunity for the local players to show their talent. While the players will be able to hog the limelight, at the same time, the Bangladesh cricket will also be benefited by the tournament,” Mahmud said.

In Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) T20 however the local players had to be under the shadow of the quality foreign players, which often resisted their way to hog the limelight.

Mahmud said that the young cricketers will get a chance to prove themselves in the tournament as the foreign cricketers this time are not included.

“It’s a great opportunity for young cricketers. When it comes to BPL, our young bowlers can’t bowl in a crucial moment due to the foreign players. As a result we can’t find a good bowler in the death over. We might find some talent from this tournament. It’s a big addition for the BCB to see a lot of young cricketers here who can prove themselves,” he remarked.

Mahmud thinks the competition will play an important role in the young players’ proper growth also.

“It’s a good opportunity for young players to prove themselves. They will bat in a crucial place like No. 4 or 5 and they would have to finish the game. It’s the test of their skill. They will learn many things from the tournament. It is to see how they soak up the pressure,” he opined.