Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam got emotional after visiting the Shaheed Ria Gope Stadium, formerly known as Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, at Fatullah, Narayanganj, on Sunday.
The BCB boss was moved upon seeing the current state and condition of the stadium, which last hosted an international match in 2016.
Once a venue for international series and tournaments, the ground remains waterlogged for much of the year. The main and outer fields are being filled with sand, and the galleries also need to be rebuilt.
Fatullah hosted its first international match in 2006 and helped nurture cricketers like Rony Talukder and young talents such as Jishan Alam, son of former cricketer Jahangir Alam.
鈥業 went to see the Fatullah ground. I felt鈥� I felt like crying. On this ground, Shahriar Nafees once scored a century against Australia. The Under-19 World Cup semi-final was played here. The Asia Cup was played here. And now, the condition of this ground is extremely tragic,鈥� said Aminul, who was visibly in tears.
鈥楯ust yesterday [Saturday], Narayanganj鈥檚 Jisan Alam scored a fifty in the Top End Series. And today I visited the place where he practises. I just cannot reconcile the two. He is scoring fifties in world-standard T20 cricket, and yet this is the kind of practice facility he has!鈥�
Aminul vowed to develop the training facilities on the ground and also build at least 15鈥�20 wickets.
鈥業 promise you鈥擝CB vice-president [Nazmul Abedin Faheem] is with me鈥攚e will start by improving the training facilities first. I heard there are only three wickets available. Why should there be only three wickets? There should be at least 15鈥�20 wickets, and we will try to make it happen,鈥� he said.
The former national cricket team captain also believes that a high-performance centre can be constructed to benefit young cricketers here.
鈥業f we can set up a small, low-cost indoor facility and expand the outdoor facilities, then it would be very possible to establish a High Performance Centre here,鈥� he said.
The former board members had taken initiatives to rebuild the ground many times, but the project never materialised.
However, Aminul assured that efforts will be made to bring out the renovation process and restore the ground.
鈥楽o these are the four commitments鈥攆acilities, ground, coach development, and High Performance Centre. Inshallah, we will begin these four works.鈥�
听
