Big opportunity, valuable exposure

Bowling leg-spin at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at the age of 17 felt like a dream come true for Mohammad Abdullah and his father, Anwar Shah, who had travelled from Kishoreganj to watch his son play today.

Like Abdullah, many of the U-17 stars featuring in the three-team Game Development tournament found the experience almost otherworldly, with the excitement hard to contain.

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When the tournament was announced, there were doubts over how competitive it could be, given the gulf in class between the U-17, U-19 and U-23 levels. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), however, prioritised exposure.

For a leg-spinner, facing a senior side can be a baptism of fire. Abdullah initially dragged his length back and conceded 34 runs in his first three overs. But he recovered by pitching the ball fuller, challenging the batters and producing more economical overs.

A BKSP student, Abdullah had apparently told his father on his first visit to the institution that he wanted to study there. Anwar, a mason, recalled the journey with a smile.

“Studying at BKSP was a difficult prospect, but we managed with help from the institution,” Anwar said.

“He had the drive, so even when he was getting hit [on Friday], I knew he would be able to come back. I was never afraid, but of course, there was nervousness at the beginning,” Anwar admitted.

Abdullah went wicketless but showed signs of recovery, eventually conceding 61 in seven overs. Like Abdullah, most of his teammates experienced the same mix of nervousness and excitement at the home of cricket.

“They were overly excited [in the first hour]. As that excitement was affecting them, the bowlers couldn’t pitch the ball in the right areas,” Under-17 head coach Tushar Imran told The Daily Star.

“Everyone made a comeback later, once the initial excitement faded,” he added.

The U-19s eventually plundered 329 for eight in 43 overs, but Tushar insisted that instilling a competitive mindset in the youngsters was the main aim.

“We will enter the actual competition a year or a year and a half later. Before that, this instils the mindset in them that we can compete at this level,” Tushar said.

BCB president Tamim Iqbal also made the occasion more memorable, speaking to the youngsters and providing them with gear for the game.

Beyond competitiveness, Tushar believes the tournament can serve as a testing ground for identifying future stars.

“Many Indian players, like [Vaibhav] Sooryavanshi, are dominating the world even before turning 17. It would be great if we could find such cricketers from our U-17 level,” he said.