I was 19 when I played a final for Mohammedan Sporting (Dhaka) against Abahani. I’d been to Eden Gardens many times as a spectator, but never before had I seen such a big crowd while looking around from mid-pitch. It was almost numbing.
That was at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, and it’s no exaggeration at all to say that it was Bangladesh’s equivalent of Mohun Bagan against East Bengal. In those days, their club cricket was super competitive, and it wasn’t uncommon for crowds of 50,000 to flock to such games.
Pakistani stars like Wasim Akram would fly in just to play the semis and the final, and you can imagine the impact that had at a time when Bangladesh had yet to play in a World Cup. Sri Lankan players were aplenty too, and several Indian stars played full seasons. One was Raman Lamba, who tragically passed away after being struck on the head while fielding close in during a Dhaka Premier League game.
In some ways, it was like the IPL of its time, and I really think that it helped that generation of Bangladeshi players they always played proper 50-over games on big grounds, with the circle rule and everything else in place. That was the bedrock for them getting better.
Quite a few of them enjoyed cult status in Bangladesh, but they were always so humble and keen to learn. They were a very hard-working and driven bunch. Athar Ali Khan was the star at the time because he had hit a hundred against international opposition. He had a very solid technique and took his time.
Aminul Islam, who scored a Test century on debut against India, Habibul Bashar and Akram Khan were all part of that generation, as was Minhajul Abedin – Nannu to his fans – who was captain at the time. Khaled Mashud ‘Pilot’ was the young wicketkeeper, who was also my roommate. He would go on to play 170 times for the national team.
This coincided with me being a young cricketer who was just starting out, and the standard of cricket we played in Dhaka helped me immensely. We also had a bilateral arrangement where their national team would come and play Bengal, and we would go over every other year. When they got better, that stopped, maybe because they didn’t see the point of country-versus-state contests. But for all those who played in those long-ago games, from both sides, they remain a fond and cherished memory.