A six-a-side cricket tournament called Polar Ice Cream Street Cricket will start on January 21 to highlight and create the hype for the game before the upcoming World Cup; it was said at a press conference on Tuesday.
The tournament, which will be held at the Dhanmondi Club Ground, is open to all and any team composed of seven players under the age of 21 can register their name paying the organisers Tk 1,000.
Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), a platform of all former and current Bangladeshi cricketers, will organise the event jointly with Spellbound, an advertising firm, who also holds events.
The 13-day long tournament will follow the rules of street cricket, which is being frequently played in Bangladesh’s neighbouring countries India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The title sponsor of the tournament is Polar Ice Cream while Runner Automobile has become the corporate partner. They will bear the entire expense, estimated at around Tk 20 lakh.
The organisers were hoping for around 100 teams to make their entry in the tournament, which they said first of its kind in Bangladesh.
Teams are encouraged to collect their registration form from any Polar Ice Cream outlet which has a street cricket banner, the enthusiast can also log on to www.streetcricketbd.com to register. The registration will remain open till January 18.
The champions will receive a trophy and prize money of Tk 50,000, while runners-up and the third position team will get Tk 25,000 and Tk 15,000 respectively.
Former national captains Raquibul Hasan, Minhajul Abedin, Faruque Ahmed, Khaled Mahmud and chief operating officer of Polar Ice Cream Toufiqur Rahman were present among others at the press conference held in this connection.
