Rain had the final say at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday as the GD Trophy final between Bangladesh Under-19 and Under-23 was abandoned. The Under-19 side were crowned champions based on their superior position in the group-stage points table.
Earlier, Tafiul Alam Tamim took 6 for 36 to bowl out the Under-23s for 245. After rain, the Under-19s were set a revised target of 161 in 23 overs under the DLS method but reached 99 for five in 17.2 overs before play was abandoned.
The Under-19 players were later crowned champions at the BCB Media Centre, where they erupted in celebration after the announcement. They were awarded BDT 7.5 lakh for winning the inaugural GD Trophy.
On the eve of the tournament, BCB president Tamim Iqbal said the aim was to challenge players across age groups, with Under-17, Under-19 and Under-23 teams all competing to provide young cricketers with exposure and a platform to perform.
Bangladesh Under-19 coach Hannan Sarkar echoed that view. He told TIMES of Bangladesh, “The exposure and recognition they gained through this tournament is a big experience for the boys. We may already have an idea about the pipeline, especially those who work directly with age-group teams.”
“Through this tournament, I’m sure many journalists and people in the media have now gained a better understanding of who is in the Under-19 team and who these players are. So, it was certainly a very big platform for them”, he added.
The Under-17 side failed to register a win, but Hannan believes the experience will benefit them in the long run.
“Absolutely. This experience will help them. If you compare their first match with their fourth, you could clearly see the improvement from game to game. It showed how much they were gaining from the match exposure.”
Under-23 pace bowling coach Tareq Aziz also hopes the format will continue. “I think it was a great tournament for the individual players. It was a good tournament overall,” the former pacer said.
Reflecting on how the players could benefit from the challenges of playing against different age groups, Tareq z said the focus should remain on development.
He said, “It’s about focusing on what they can control. At this age, everyone is developing through the game, so the key is to learn from the experience and keep improving.”
The tournament also gave the Under-19 players confidence ahead of their next challenge.
Top-order batter Adrito Ghosh told TIMES, “We’ll try to take this confidence into the upcoming series and perform well. Moving from Under-17 to Under-19 means tougher competition, while playing against the Under-23 side gave us valuable experience. We’ll take those lessons forward and try to improve.”
Rakibul Hossain, the Under-19 batting allrounder who was named Player of the Match against the Under-17 side, said the tournament taught him how to handle pressure and compete against older players.
“I gained a lot of experience from the tournament, especially in dealing with pressure and different situations. The key is to hold on to the good moments, learn from them and carry that momentum forward.
Reflecting on the challenge of playing against older players, Rakibul said he never let the difference in age affect his approach.
“The tournament was about challenging ourselves and gaining experience against higher-level players. I didn’t think about whether they were Under-17 or Under-23. Once you step onto the field, everyone is just a player, and I approached every game with that mindset.”
