Sameeha Chowdhury, a 13-year-old girl from Old Dhaka, was all excitement as she stood in line to register her name with the Bangladeshi Cricket Board (BCB). “I have been playing cricket ever since I was 11 years old. I used to play with my brother and my cousins. It’ll be a dream-come-true for me if I can represent Bangladesh on the international stage in the near future,” she exclaimed.
Sameeha, of course, wasn’t the only one gleaming in joy. The BCB Academy Ground in Mirpur was flooded with more than 400 applicants, who came in response to the board’s call for women cricketers. The scene at the ground was one that could win many hearts. On the one hand there were parents who were encouraging their girls to do their best on the field and on the other side there was Richard Mcinnes, the head of the Cricket Academy and several other national players on the lookout for the next Salma Khatun.
“We initially thought we’d select a few girls after seeing them play today. But there were so many of them. We honestly didn’t expect such a good response,” said Abdullah AL Fuad Redwan, chairman of the Women’s Wing of the BCB.
Having registered the applicants, the board now plans to call them based on the divisions they belong in, to scrutinise them based on their abilities. “We are looking for at least 50 young players. Once we select them, they are going to go through an intensive training programme, after which we can hopefully have a bigger pool of players,” added Redwan.
Women’s cricket in Bangladesh has been on the rise over the last few months. Impressive results against the likes of Ireland, Pakistan and South Africa prove that the players have begun to find their feet in the international arena. The Bangladesh women will next travel to China to play the Asia Cup. Judging by these recent results the initiative taken by the BCB, which was the first of its kind, is no doubt a positive one.
However, a single initiative is not enough. The Women’s Wing in the BCB should ensure that the organisation sticks to its plan of developing the young hopefuls who registered yesterday.
-With The Daily Star input
