Before leaving the country for his domestic T20 assignments in England and the West Indies, ace allrounder Shakib Al Hasan said that the one thing that he would miss the most would be the opportunity to spend Eid-ul-Fitr with his family and friends in his hometown of Magura. While spending time outside Bangladesh definitely has its perks, spending Eid away from his roots would just not be the same. Fortunately for Shakib, his record-breaking performance in the Caribbean Premier League might just help him ease the woes.
This yearning for home comforts applies to most other athletes of the country, as a majority of them are set to take a break from their respective sports and spend time with their families this Eid.
The national cricketers in the country, who were involved in an intense fitness camp for the last one and a half months, have been given a 12-day gap for Eid this year. The long vacation is due to the fact that the players will be busy with the New Zealand series during Eid-ul-Adha in October.
“I live in a joint family so we have a lot of fun. During Eid we all go to our hometown in Rangpur and spend good times. It’s nothing out of the ordinary but it’s just special because we get to spend Eid together,” said Nasir Hossain.
While Eid is a time when there’s no limit to being joyous, the cricketers will have to keep an eye on their diets lest they undo whatever good work they accomplished in their fitness camp in the last few weeks.
While the cricketers are set for a long vacation, athletes in the other sports are not as lucky. With the SAFF championship set to begin on September 1, the national footballers have been given no break at all form their camp. They’ll just be receiving a ‘rest day’ on Eid.
“This is the fourth Eid that I won’t be able to spend with my family. It obviously feels bad. Athletes don’t get the opportunity to spend time with their families as it is and it’s worse when you can’t spend Eid with them. But I am doing this for my country and that’s what matters at the end of the day,” said national skipper Mamunul Islam. Of the 24 footballers in the camp, only ten are from cities near Dhaka.
The national hockey players are better off. They’ll be getting a three-day gap for Eid before resuming their camp for the Asia Cup scheduled to begin on August 24.
Forward Rasel Mahmud Jimmy explains how he plans to spend those three days. “Usually for Eid we go to our community’s mosque with friends for prayers, and then distribute dry food among everyone. I will get to meet my sisters this time. They will be coming to Dhaka. I have not met them for a while” said Rasel
Rasel further stated that a majority of the members of the camp, who are based in districts away from Dhaka, were to follow suit.
-With The Daily Star input
