****All were well and spicy till our attainment of glory as a Test cricket country. Then came the somewhat disappointing episode. The victory celebrations that were organized to mark the occasion appeared to be exclusively a ruling party affair. Even the cricketers themselves were practically ignored.***

THE attainment of Test status by Bangladesh cricket on the red-Tettered day of 26 June is an Important landmark in the annals of the history of sports in the country. This represented a befitting recognition of all those sportsmen who have attained the highest glory for themselves in one of the top and prestigious fields of sports through sheer dedication, perseverance and dogged determination. This also elevated the nation to a lofty level in the International field and made it a member of the small but exclusive club of Test cricket. Besides the cricketers themselves whom we salute with pride, the credit Is shared also by all those people, who over the past decades made relentless efforts and successfully overcame numerous obstacles to reach the position as it finally did.

A brief resume of the history of development of cricket in our country would reveal how within a short span of time our amateur players have been able to train and equip themselves, often in adverse situation, to enable themselves to reach the pinnacle of glory in this elegant sports, which had been generally neglected earlier in our country Pakistan, started receiving world acclaim and made its place firmly secured in the cricket world as early as in the fifties, about half a century ago. The reasons were obvious. In the then West Pakistan, which housed numerous cadet and public schools as well as similar other sophisticated educational Institutions after British fashion. cricket was a popular game. In the then East Pakistan about the same time this game was hardly played seriously, not to speak of being popular. The step-motherly attitude of the

Central government to the socio-economic progress in East Pakistan throughout the period was bitterly known to all ami the field of sports was no exception. Among sports, the greatest victim was perhaps the cricket.

With the emergence of Bangladesh many thought that the neglected sports sector would receive the attention It deserved. But this did not happen. No worthwhile steps were taken to encourage sports and provide facilities necessary lor building Bangladeshi national teams of desired standard In any game to be able to participate successfully in competitions even at regional level. Cricket figured out In terms of priority, as perhaps the last in the list ol the first Awami League government. Cricket was confined only to a small section of the people and considered to be a game of the bourgeoisie. Even, no Cricket Board was set up In Bangladesh until In 1974.

Encouragement to sports became perceptible with the commencement of Zia's rule and this was meticulously followed during the Ershad regime. A number of sports stadiums were built during this period: the Ministry of Sports was activated and efforts were made to gear it to fulfil the long-felt need of the nation in this neglected sector. Khaleda Zia's regime provided a boost in this direction and found in her late Foreign Minister ASM Mustatizur Bahman an active natron ol snorts esneciallv of

cricket. He was not only President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board but he devoted substantial time In encouraging and promoting the cause of cricket In the country. It was he who first declared that Bangladesh would eventually win Internationa) trophy in cricket.

By the time the present Awami League regime came to power the slate of cricket as a national game has not only been accorded its due recognition but was already imbedded in the society. All over the country. cricket In all its forms, from

the exclusive club of the Test cricket. The abortive attempt last year for the same was finally crowned with success with the attainment of the glory of receiving the honour with unanimous voles cast by all the Nine Test member-countries. President and General Secretary’ of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, no doubt, also made due contribution in this regard through their skill and perseverance.

The sports since the past few decades have occupied In the minds of the people of our

the rudimentary to the professional. was being played by children and the youth of all ages. Our heroic cricketers meanwhile put all their time, energy and meagre resources into practicing themselves as real good players. The outcome came in the form of the laurel for the Bangladeshi team with the victory of the international cricket trophy In 1997. Bangladesh's place in the cricket world was made secure. Than came the bid for raising Bangladesh’s affiliated status of membership of the International Cricket Council to that of full country membership in order to be a owner of the key to

country a well-deserved prominent place. Traditionally, it was study and formal education which was Juxtaposed in a superior scale over games and sports. Till the beginning of our generation the perennial advice of parents to their children was to devote more time to studies and to frugally indulge in games and sports, which was. with some exceptions, generally looked down upon as sheer waste of time. The outlook has since undergone a fundamental change. Sports have now figured into a valued and much desired profession in the society. as skilled and eminent sportsmen not only earn fame

but also a good deal of money as remuneration. Parents are no longer much reluctant to allow their children to spend more time In games In which they exhibit some degree of promise.

In a totalitarian society promising sportsmen or athletes arc Identified from their very childhood. They are then groomed carefully and given all possible and required facilities. Including financial, so that they can become players or athletes of international standard. In a rich capitalistic society the patronage does not come from the state, at least not In the Initial stage, but from the family, the society and later, with the manifestation of due promise, from clubs, foundations and philanthropic organisations. Money and resources generate more than proportionately with the Increase in the skill and fame of a sportsman. In our country, we are devoid of these facilities both from the state and the public, except at a very late stage. But to reach that stage, our sportsmen really have to traverse through a long and arduous struggle. People must implore the state and those who are patrons of sports and games to come forward with a scheme to identify promising sports people at an early age and provide them with the requisite training and facilities so that they can serve themselves and the nation appropriately. Bangladesh needs more sports grounds and stadiums. Isn't it a pity that we have no exclusive cricket stadium

and that Test cricketers have to play the ,na,n fotbal1 sta* dium In Dhaka!

All were well and spicy till our attainment of glory as a Test cricket country. Then came the somewhat disappointing episode. The victory celebrations that were organized to mark the occasion appeared to be exclusively a ruling party affair. Even the cricketers themselves were practically Ignored. The Test status was branded as an achievement of the Awami League government after professing the claim that nothing had been done in the field of sports and cricket in the preceding 25 years. This particular obsession of casting aside the political parties who. added together. represent a majority of the people of the country, became apparent and was exhibited on other occasions also. To welcome the victorious players winning the international trophy in 1997 the Prime Minister also addressed a public rally in which no opposition political parties were invited. The crowning example was set by her on the occasion of Inauguration of the longest bridge on river Jamuna when she Ignored the widespread pleas to Invite leaders of the Jatiya Party and the BNP, who had practically initiated the project and constructed its major part respectively. She sought to publicise it as a sole achievement of the Awami League and named it in a way to propagate that claim. But the Prime Minister should be aware that such ill-devised methods of propaganda, contrary to her belief, tarnishes the Image of her party and in no way enhances it.

The author, a Jormer Ambassador. is a Member of BNP's Advisory Council.