DHAKA: Former cricketers, analysts and noted artistes hoped that Tigers will do better in World Cup 2015 if they emerge with a good start in their first match against Afghanistan.
The experts came up with the hope in a roundtable, arranged by one of the leading Bangla dailies of the country ‘Bangaldesh Pratidin’, at the conference room of East West Media Group Limited on Thursday, on the eve of 11th edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup.
The Cricket World Cup 2015, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, inaugurated in Christchurch in New Zealand on Thursday while the first match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be held in the same city on February 14.
‘Bangladesh Pratidin’ editor Noem Nizam moderated the roundtable where Bangla daily ‘Kaler Kantho’ editor Imdadul Haq Milon, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selection committee chairman and also national team former captain Faruque Ahmed, former captains and also BCB selectors Minhajul Abedin Nannu and Habibul Bashar Sumon were present at the roundtable.
Moreover, former captains Raqibul Hasan along with other cricketers Shafiq-ul-Haq Hira, Mohammad Ashraful and Shahriar Nafees attended the event.
Not only the cricketers but also BCB development committee former chairman Khandaker Jamil Uddin, filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, singers Akhi Alamgir and Shuvro Dev, actors Mahfuz Ahmed and Apu Biswash were also present at the program.
BCB selection committee chairman Faruque Ahmed said that Tigers to face Afghans at their first match in World Cup on February 18.
Bangladesh players will do better in the next matches if they can defeat Afghans at the very first fight, he further hoped.
As Bangladesh will play in pool `A' in the World Cup, their opponents include Afghanistan, Australia, England, New Zealand and Scotland.
The former captain also hoped that the Tigers will manage to secure victories in group level matches.
“We have selected and sent the best team considering the performance of players in all sectors (bowling, batting and fielding),” Faruque Ahmed said.
A complete team-effort can bring out a positive result for the Tigers, he added.
BCB selector and also former captain Minhajul Abedin Nannu said that the Tigers have a good experience of playing a plenty of ODI matches.
“We all will support them and are also hoping that they will come up with a good start against Afghans.”
BCB’s former development committee chairman Khandaker Jamil Uddin said that Bangladesh team should get a lesson from 2003 when the team struggled a lot.
He also hoped that they will bag the first victory against Afghans in the World Cup 2015.
However, the artistes and others also conveyed their best wishes to the Bangladesh team and hoped for a victory at the first match.
BDST: 2119 HRS, FEB 12, 2015
