Bogra is playing a groundbreaking role in providing future cricketers for the Bangladesh national team. Following the path of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shafiul Islam Suhas or Tanjid Tamim and Towhid Hridoy, Bogra is adding names one after another to the age-based team. After several budding cricketers secured places in the U-15 and U-17 national teams, two more budding youngsters are knocking on the door of the U-19 national team. Bogra’s Ilman Habib and Riyad Sheikh have been called up for the newly announced 45-member national team camp.

It has been reported that the Cricket Board is organizing a national camp with 45 people selected from all over the country with the aim of forming the U-19 national team. Ilman Habib and Riyad Sheikh, sons of Bogra, have been called up for that camp. Ilman Habib is a first-year honors student in the sports science department at Daffodil University in the capital, while Riyad Sheikh is studying in class 9 at Beat Model School in Bogra. Both are regular students of the local Young Tigers Cricket Academy. They also play in different age-based teams in Bogra district.

ইলমান হাবিব

Earlier, Abdur Rahman Irfan, Bayazid Bostami and Afridi Tariq got a chance in the U-15 national team. Akash Roy and Shams Toufiq played in the U-17 team.

For the past few years, Bogra district has been consistently winning the Rajshahi division in the age-based U-14, 16 and 18 competitions organized by the BCB. As a result, most of the cricketers from Bogra are taking advantage of the Rajshahi divisional age-based team. Later, there is a possibility of playing in the national team from there.

রিয়াদ সেখ

Bogra district team coach Rifat Hasan said that there are many talented cricketers in Bogra. If proper care is taken, it is possible to provide more young cricketers to the national team.

Young Tigers Cricket Academy Director Shahedul Islam Robi said, “We have got many talented young cricketers since the establishment of the academy, who are taking themselves far ahead. Several players are getting calls in different age-based teams. I think more and more cricketers will play for the national team from Bogra in the future.

Although BCB has appointed a coach in each district, there is no initiative to produce cricketers at the district level.

The district sports organization does not arrange regular training for cricketers. Although the Bogra district team has repeatedly won the age-based competitions, the role of the academy is at the heart of this success. The cricketers produced through regular training at the academy are mainly playing for the district team and bringing success. If regular training is arranged by the district sports organization in addition to the academy, Bogra will be able to contribute a lot to the country’s cricket.