BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul has voiced deep disappointment over the long-neglected Fatullah Stadium, promising sweeping development to restore its former glory.
Since taking charge of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Bulbul has travelled across the country with a vision to decentralise cricket. On 24 august, he visited Narayanganj as chief guest at a programme titled Cricket Development and Ideas, organised by the Narayanganj District Sports Association at the local sports complex.
Before attending the event, Bulbul inspected the Fatullah ground and was visibly emotional about its condition.
“I went to see the Fatullah ground. I felt like crying,” he said. “This is the same field where Shahriar Nafees scored a century against Australia, where an Under-19 World Cup semi-final was held, and where Asia Cup matches took place. The state of that ground now is extremely tragic.”
Once a venue for regular international matches, Fatullah has since fallen into disrepair. This is despite Narayanganj producing talents such as Rony Talukdar and Jisan Alam.
Bulbul expressed his disbelief that players of such calibre have emerged from such inadequate facilities:
“Yesterday, Narayanganj’s own Jisan Alam scored a fifty in the Top End T20 series. Today I saw where he trains. I can’t reconcile the two – he is performing at world-standard T20 level, yet his training facilities are like this.”
The stadium currently has only three wickets, which the district coach pointed out with pride. But Bulbul believes that is nowhere near enough.
“When a district coach is satisfied with just three wickets and players like Jisan or Rony emerge from there, that’s sheer luck. Why three? There should be 30 wickets here,” he said.
Bulbul has promised major upgrades to Fatullah, including vastly improved practice and coaching facilities.
“Players need more opportunities. We plan to build at least 15–20 wickets. Cricket is played year-round now, so facilities must reflect that. Within the next one to one-and-a-half years, we want Narayanganj players to have all they need right here, without going to Dhaka. We also aim to develop coaching infrastructure and even build an indoor stadium,” he explained.
The BCB chief stressed that his pledges are realistic, citing his previous development work with the ICC:
“Everything is already in our pipeline. Pray that we can deliver. I am confident because I’ve done this kind of work before.”
Despite his frustration at the present situation, Bulbul left Narayanganj encouraged by the passion for cricket in the district.
“Narayanganj used to be an idol for us. The cricketing history here is rich. Even now, the enthusiasm of its people gives me hope. I believe many players here can become the next Tamim or Shakib,” he said.