SPORTS REPORTER

The country’s most widely contested cricketing competition -- Prime Bank National School Cricket Tournament -- will begin its 11th edition today amidst questions over the timing of the event.

An approximate 8,750 budding cricketers from 350 schools across 64 districts will compete in this edition. The tournament will commence in three phases: District, Divisional and the National Round.

The National Round will begin in the first week of June, at the start of the monsoon, which could potentially affect the tournament, as it had done in the previous season.

In the 2024-25 edition, the final between Modern High School Cumilla and Police Lines School & College Bogura got rained out and the former were declared champions after a coin toss.

National team star Tawhid Hridoy, who along with Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto spoke at the pre-tournament press conference yesterday, urged the organisers to rethink the tournament’s timing.

“If I’m not mistaken, last year the championship was decided by toss due to no play because of rain… I want the tournament to not take place during the rainy season. If it’s held earlier, the cricketers will be able to play all the matches,” he said.

Shanto, who like Hridoy is a product of school cricket, talked about competing in an U-17 school tournament in Kerala as part of a BCB team and hoped for similar opportunities for the next generation.

BCB officials suggested that informal talks have been held with Sri Lanka and Pakistan regarding school cricket. When asked about the issues plaguing the tournament, one Game Development official spoke about the role of the schools.

“If the schools become a little professional, appoint district level coaches even for a week before tournament and take care of the venues, it would be a great venture. In Sri Lanka, the cricket board does not oversee school cricket. The schools take care of the facilities too and in that regard we are behind,” he remarked.

The organisers also handed scholarships worth Tk 1,20,000 each to 25 young cricketers yesterday on the basis of last season’s performances. While the number of recipients has risen from 15 and the amount has doubled, greater focus on venues, facilities and scheduling remains essential to improve the event’s overall relevance.