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DT
Sport
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016
BCB not concerned about media speculation We are not willing to comment on any news from the media as we are waiting for the official report from the ECB
n Tribune Report Bangladesh Cricket Board did not comment and is willing to wait until the England and Wales Cricket Board releases the official report regarding its upcoming tour of Bangladesh. BCB’s reaction came hot on the heels of a report by English daily The Telegraph on Monday in which ECB’s chief security officer, Reg Dickason, apparently expressed concern about the team’s journeys
from the airport to the team hotel, and from the team hotel to the grounds in Bangladesh. “We are not willing to comment on any news from the media as we are waiting for the official report from the ECB,” chairman of the BCB’s media and communications committee Jalal Younus told Dhaka Tribune yesterday. Dickason was part of the three-member ECB delegation that inspected the security arrangements in Bangladesh ahead of their
forthcoming tour where England are scheduled to play two Tests and three ODIs. With that said, there were no official quotes from Dickason on the report as it also said, “It is understood that Dickason’s chief concern is not so much the hotels where England will be staying in Dhaka and Chittagong, or the grounds in those two cities, as they can be cordoned off by the police and military. “The most potentially danger-
ous parts of a cricket tour are the journeys from the airport to the team hotel, and from the team hotel to the ground, especially in crowded Asian cities where it is humanly impossible to secure all the buildings overlooking the roads. “Another consideration is not simply the safety of the players, or the media, who could be bussed around in the same convoy as the England team, but travelling supporters staying in cheaper hotels and far more exposed.” l
Masters Cricket Carnival players’ draft held n Tribune Report The players’ draft of the Masters Cricket Carnival was held yesterday at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The six participating sides – Gemcon Group Khulna, Lanka-Bangla All Stars Masters, Ispahani Chittagong Masters, Jaj Bhuiyan Dhaka Division, Confidence Group Dhaka Metro and Renaissance Rajshahi – formed teams comprising 14 former cricketers. Each team also named a veteran cricketer as the mentor. Convened by former Bangladesh captains Akram Khan, Khaled Mahmud and Khaled Mashud, the tournament, that will hold its first phase in Cox’s Bazar from September 1-3, aims to raise fund for the welfare of the cricketers. The six participating teams have
been divided into two groups and the matches will be 25-over ties with the implication of international cricket rules. The final game of the carnival will be held at the home of cricket in Mirpur on September 6 under lights. “The former cricketers are all scattered and engaged with their personal work. This event will be a platform for cricketers like us to come close once again. This is not a tournament for us but a carnival where we will get to know how one is doing with life and if anyone needs support,” Mahmud told the media. “The tournament does not aim to earn from sponsorship, rather, use the incoming money for the welfare of former cricketers. It is bitter but the truth is that there are many former cricketers who are not financially sound and fall helpless financially if there is a serious
illness to fight against. So, we (the organisers) have decided to put the money earned from the tournament behind the welfare of the cricketers,” Mahmud added. There was however, an odd moment during the draft when the inclusion of banned former cricketer Shariful Haque Plaban got pointed out. Plaban is serving a lifetime ban after the Bangladesh Cricket Board found him guilty for approaching Mashrafe bin Mortaza for spot fixing during the first season of the Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20. But the MCC authority overlooked the ban and included Plaban in the draft list. He was eventually picked up by Renaissance Rajshahi. Mahmud while explaining the issue said they will look into the issue and take necessary steps. l
Gemcon Group Khulna captain Habibul Bashar makes his call during the Masters Cricket Carnival players’ draft at Mirpur’s SBNS yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK
MASTERS CRICKET CARNIVAL: SQUADS
GEMCON GROUP KHULNA
LANKA-BANGLA ALL STARS MASTERS
CONFIDENCE GROUP DHAKA METRO
ISPAHANI CTG MASTERS
JAJ BHUIYAN DHAKA DIVISION
RENAISSANCE RAJSHAHI
Omar Khaled Rumy (mentor) Habibul Bashar (captain) Monjurul Islam Monju Hasanuzzaman Jhoru Mohammad Salim Jamal Babu Mahmudul Hasan Rana Murad Khan Ali Arman Rajon Harun-ur-Rashid Liton Shafiuddin Babu Tasrekul Islam Totam Towhidul Islam Chapal Zeeshan Hasib Mizanur Rahman Patwary
ASM Roqibul Hasan (mentor) Salim Shahed (captain) Hasibul Hossain Shanto Ehsanul Hoque Seezan Javed Omar Belim Talha Jubair Azam Iqbal Masudur Rahman Mukul Lablur Rahman Syed Adil Ahmed Sohel Hossain Pappu Neaz Morshed Nahid Baqui Billah Himel Fahim Muntasir Mahbub Anam
ASM Faruque (mentor) Khaled Mahmud Sujon (captain) Mohammad Rafiq Sazzad Ahmed Shipon Neeyamur Rashid Rahul Nasir Ahmed Nasu AIM Moniruzzaman Imran Parvez Ripon Anisul Hakim Rabbani Iqbal Hossain Imran Hamid Partho Mir Ziauddin Ahmed Sabbir Khan Shafin Tanvir Ahmed Timir Ashfak
Shafirul Haque Heera (mentor) Akram Khan (captain) Minhajul Abedin Nannu Enamul Haque Moni Tareq Aziz Aftab Ahmed Towhid Hossain Shamol Humayun Kabir Anwar Hossain Monir Jubair Ishtiaque Ahmed Fazle Bari Khan Rubel Nurul Abedin Afzal Khan Fazle Khan Titu Mir Akhteruddin Ahmed
Azhar Hossain Shantoo (mentor) Naimur Rahman Durjoy (captain) Mohammad Sanwar Hossain Shahriar Hossain Biddut Mehrab Hossain Opi Saiful Islam Kham Monirul Islam Taj Shahnewaz Kabir Shuvro Sazzad Kadir Rashidul Haque Sumon Zakir Hasan Dipu Ray Chowdhury Anisur Rahman Jalal Younus Abu Haider Ripon
Shahnewaz Kabir (mentor) Khaled Mashud Pilot (captain) Alamgir Kabir Rafikul Islam Khan Saifullah Khan Gem Abdullah Biplob Hannan Sarkar Tarikul Islam Morshed Ali Khan Gazi Alamgir Mushfiqur Rahman Babu Jahangir Alam Omar Shairf Khan Akhtar Ahmed Shariful Haque Plaban