Wednesday | 22 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Wednesday | 22 January 2025 | Epaper

Young Tigers looking for WC laurel after Asia Cup triumph

Published : Wednesday, 11 December, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 255
The Bangladesh Under-19 team now set its target to win the World Cup after becoming the best of Asia for the consecutive second time.

The team's Captain Azizul Hakim Tamim detailed the plan after returning to the country to a hero's welcome.
The fans and officials gathered at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to celebrate the achievement, much to the delight of the team.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) gave them a reception at the airport, with flower bouquets. A specially decorated cake to commemorate the win was brought up which the team cut amid cheers and much fanfare. Fans surrounded Hakim, eager to snap selfies with him and the gleaming trophy.

"It's (Asia Cup triumph) not the end of the world," Hakim said. "The biggest test will be the World Cup. We are preparing for it. We are in fact moving forward with the goal of securing even greater things."

Bangladesh last year crushed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 195 runs to win their first ever Asia Cup title. The joy now came full circle when they defended the title, thrashing sub-continent rivals India by 59 runs.

Hakim dedicated the trophy to the countrymen, saying: "The trophy is not for only us. It's for the entire nation. We saw an intense support from the expatriates in UAE. They came to cheer for us. There were in the stands made us feel like we weren't just playing cricket- we were making our country proud."

Hakim further said that they were elated to overcome the challenge as they left the country with an aim to retain the title has doubled.

"Retaining the Asia Cup was our main goal. We were the defending champions. It was a big thing to retain it this time too. It feels good."

"We played well throughout the tournament. The way we made a comeback in the semifinal gave us confidence that we would do something good."

The Bangladesh Under-19 team prepared themselves for a long time ahead of the tournament. They did regular camps, fitness training, skill development and match scenario practice to prepare them in full-fledged.

The joy of putting their hard yards into practice was evident in Hakim's voice.

 "The journey has just started. There was a lot of hard work behind it. Allah has brought us here now, overall we feel good in every way. Now we are confident to overcome any adversities coming to our way. We feel confident."

"Overall, everything went as planned. We did well in the final against India. Everyone in the team did well which is why we were able to become champions. We defeated India in the warm-up match. That gave us the confidence initially. In fact that gave the momentum. Then we played good cricket overall."

Hakim's leadership and on-field performances have earned widespread acclaim, especially for inspiring his team in front of an electrifying crowd in Dubai. 

Almost in every game, he scored valuable runs to keep the side in advantageous position.

"I hope to keep that form up. I am happy to contribute something for the team. But it was overall a team performance that won us the trophy," he concluded.    —BSS



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