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Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said Wednesday remarkable and continuous successes in sports could help enhance Bangladesh's dignity and image abroad, reports UNB.
"Players can work as successful goodwill ambassadors.
They can make significant contributions to building friendship with other countries," she told a reception given to Bangladesh national cricket team for their Test and ODI victories against Zimbabwe.
Khaleda Zia said Wednesday sports are not mere sports … in this competitive world the success in sports can give a country an immense honour.
A formal reception was accorded to the Bangladesh National Cricket Team and its management at the PM office for its recent glorious victories in Test and ODI matches against Zimbabwe.
The Prime Minister distributed gold medals and cheques among 17 national cricket team players as well as its coach Dev Whatmore, captain Kazi Habibul Bashar, team operation manager, fitness advisor and computer analyst.
She also gave gold medals to State Minister for SportsFazlur Rahman and President of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Mohammad Ali Asghar MP for their contributions and efforts for the development of the game.
Youth and Sports Secretary Syed Sujauddin Ahmed, BCB Advisor Arafat Rahman, national cricket team members, former captains of the national cricket team and BCB officials, among others, were present at the function.
The State Minister for Youth and Sports and the BCB president presented the Prime Minister the number one of 226 bats containing autographs of players of Bangladesh National Cricket Team and Zimbabwe Cricket Team. Some 226 souvenir-bats were made, marking the defeat of the Zimbabwe team by 226 runs.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia urged the players and the cricket management to work hard for further success keeping in mind the triumphs already earned.
"There is no room for compliance with one or two sudden successes. We'll have to attain the quality to present high standard match and ability to keep up the trend to achieve victories," she told the function.
She said: "For this we need farsighted planning, coordinated efforts, sincerity and positive attitude of the players, organisers and officials."
The Prime Minister said regular practices, hard labour of the players and learning modern techniques are essential to keep up the international standard.
Stressing the importance of infrastructural facilities, modern management, training and logistic support to that end, the Prime Minister said her government has taken various steps and programmes to develop the standard of sports, particularly cricket.
Listing the steps, she said hunting players from the Field-level has started to groom them up as all-rounders. Besides, foreign trainers have been appointed to improve the skill, standard and efficiency of the players of the national team. Players are also being sent to foreign countries for advance training, she added.
Recalling the celebrations of the cricket-crazy nation after Bangladesh's victories, Khaleda said all walks of people spontaneously poured into the streets to express their joy over Bangladesh's wins in various games both at home and abroad.
Congratulating the national team players for their victories, Khaleda said the wins against Zimbabwe has glorified Bangladesh's position in the world map of test cricket.
Responding to a demand for allocating plots to national cricket team players, she assured them of providing plots as given to national football team players, who brought laurel for the country.
The State Minister for Youth and Sports and the BCB president also spoke on the occasion.
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