Bangladesh internationals Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz exchanged light hearted verbal jabs on Monday in Mirpur ahead of a special exhibition match organised by the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh to mark Victory Day on Tuesday.
The friendly will be played at the Sher e Bangla National Cricket Stadium, with Shanto captaining Aparajeyo and Miraz leading Odommo, as current and former players come together for a fundraising initiative under the banner of CWAB
Speaking to reporters, Shanto said he was relishing the occasion and promised full intensity despite the festive setting. “I’m very excited. We’ve never really had the chance to play a match like this before,” he said. “There will be no letting up at all. I’ll go all out. You won’t see any preparation on the field, all the preparation is happening verbally. I might make others lie down, or I might end up lying down myself. Anything can happen.”
While acknowledging the celebratory mood, Shanto insisted the contest would still have an edge. “There will definitely be intensity, but not too much,” he said. “I’ve heard there will be good umpires, so we can’t show too much heat. Otherwise we’ll end up with demerit points.”
Shanto also highlighted the broader purpose of the match and praised CWAB’s role in supporting players. “This is a very good initiative by those involved with CWAB and everyone helping around it,” he said. “It’s happening in a bit of a rush this year, but if we can do this consistently, it will benefit Bangladesh cricket a lot. The whole reason for this match is the fund we keep talking about. If we can raise a fund from here, it will help cricketers in the future.”
He urged players across generations to support the cause. “The way players have come forward and shown interest in playing is really encouraging,” Shanto said. “I hope all Bangladeshi cricketers, current and former, will support CWAB in this way.”
Miraz responded by welcoming the competitive talk and stressing the importance of rivalry. “If there is no competition within a game, then the game has no value,” he said. “Bablu sir has already threatened, Shanto is threatening now. If they give threats, we’ll give threats too. One side has to be protected obviously, so we’ll try to win on the field and answer these threats there.”
Odommo coach Sohel Islam played down the exchange, saying his team preferred actions over words. “We don’t really believe in talk, we believe in what happens on the field,” he said. “We’ll prove on the field who makes whom lie down. The talking will stay outside. We’re not paying attention to that and we’re preparing in our own way. Inshallah, we’ll prove it on the field.”
For the match, Odommo’s management includes BCB game development head Ishtiaq Sadeq as manager and former national all rounder Mahmudullah Riyad as mentor. Aparajeyo will be coached by Mizanur Rahman Babul, with Shehzad Munim as manager and former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal as mentor.
Aparajeyo squad: Parvez Hossain Emon, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Jaker Ali, Shamim Patwari, Nahid Rana, Saklain Sajib, Jisan Alam, S M Meherob Ahin, Rakibul Hasan, Ripon Mondol.
Odommo squad: Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Naim Sheikh, Habibur Rahman Sohan, Tanzid Tamim, Towhid Hridoy, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Afif Hossain, Akbar Ali, Mohammad Saifuddin, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam, Shoriful Islam.
