Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is preparing to bring back its long-forgotten ‘Awards Night’ this September, almost two decades after it was last staged.
Since taking charge as BCB president, Aminul Islam Bulbul has already overseen three board meetings in his first month. Following the most recent meeting, he announced that the board would introduce an award ceremony under its ‘High Performance for All’ programme.
BCB last organised an Awards Night in 2006. For a variety of reasons, the event was not continued in subsequent years. Now, 19 years later, the new board leadership is eager to revive the tradition.
Scheduling remains a key concern. The national team will be engaged in a T20I series against the Netherlands until 4 September, before flying to the United Arab Emirates two days later for the Asia Cup.
An unnamed BCB official told Times of Bangladesh: “We have already started preparations for the Awards Night. We are hopeful it can be staged before the Asia Cup. This will be a great source of inspiration for our cricketers and everyone connected with the game.”
The board has begun talks with several event management firms, with presentations already submitted. If September proves unworkable, the event may be pushed back to December.
The same BCB official added: “If we cannot host it in early September, then we may have to wait until the end of the year. But we are optimistic about September.”
Speaking after a board meeting on 30 June, President Bulbul had outlined his vision for the event: “Through the High Performance for All programme, we will organise a cricket Awards Night to lift the morale and confidence of players and all those associated with the game. This will not be a one-off event, but something we plan to continue for four to five years.”