– From a very young age, I was very passionate about all kinds of sports. Among all of them, cricket was my favorite.
I started my training at Julio Kuri Academy where my first coach was Sochib (bhai). I started my professional career at age level. I played for under-13 and I got selected at Dhaka Metro for under-15. I was getting trained by Saifur Rahman Babu sir Ehsan sir.
My father was a professional football player and he used to play for Brothers Union. However, because of a major accident, he couldn’t really pursue his career further.
When I was in the national squad for under-15, my family wanted me to concentrate on my studies because I was their only son. It wasn’t like they weren’t supportive, it’s just that they wanted me to be well educated as well. And, I did as they wished.
I completed SSC from Ideal School and College, and HSC from National Ideal College. I got admitted at East West University and by then, I was playing for division cricket. Major team was Banasree cricket academy, Indira Road, Surjo turon, DRS Academy.
I also played Intervarsity Cricket Tournaments. The EWU cricket team was under my captaincy for three years, with our major win being the Champions at “Clemon Indoor Uni Cricket 2014”.
After attaining my bachelor’s degree, I came to Sydney for my master’s degree at Federation University Australia.
I am a big sports fan and I love to spend my spare time playing cricket as well.
2) How did it feel to represent Bangladesh in Australia?
– After coming from Bangladesh, I got a very good opportunity to play cricket with Sydney Bangladeshi Community. I feel very proud to represent Bangladesh in Australia. It’s kinda like a dream come true.
I was not really able to play for my own country back in Bangladesh, but here I represent my motherland. Also, leading the team makes me, my family, my friends and my community very proud. Also I want to mention my parents and my brother in law, sister they are always supportive towards my passion and i made them proud is my biggest achievement that i can’t describe.
Playing for Sydney Bangladeshi Community is a refreshing feeling and I have many stories to tell haha
3) Could you share your experience of playing in Australia and how you made it to Sydney Thunders?
– When I landed in Australia, I went to play for PIFI at Winter Cup with Rakib Dewan, my brother-in-law. Since then I am playing for them. PIFI is one of the strongest teams in Bangladesh Community, and they have won 6 BD Gold Cup Finals and 1 All-Stars Tournament so far.
I participated in many tournaments like BD Gold Cup, KFC Shadhinota Cup, and Sydney All-Stars. There are 32 teams in the Bangladeshi community right now. After I joined PIFI, we got to be champions twice and runner-up once.
Every year, the official Sydney Thunder organizes Thunder Nations Cup. It invites teams from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bhutan, and Afghanistan. There was a trial game before choosing the teams for Thunder Nations Cup. 15-16 Bangladeshis got selected and I was one of them.
I played three times for the Bangladeshi team already, and now I am leading it. Last year we were out of the tournament in the first round but in 2018 we played till in the semi-finals we lost against Afghanistan.
4) What responses have you received from the Sydney Bangladeshi Community?
– I received a lot of appreciation and support from the Sydney Bangladeshi Community. I am very lucky and grateful that I got those opportunities even though I was very new, and now I get to represent Bangladesh as the team captain.
I am very thankful to my brother Siam, the manager of PIFI who gave me a chance to play for his team.
5) You got the chance to spend time in training with Legendary Australian Opener Mark Waugh. How was the experience?
– It was during training when I got to spend time with Mark Waugh. My experience with him was amazing. I got tips from him which were very effective for both bowling and batting. Spending time with him made me feel as though all my hard work was paying off.
6) You got the chance to closely follow Australian cricket from the grass-root level. How do you think they are preparing so many talented players year after year?
– In Australia, cricket is a popular sport. I have seen many players from Bangladesh Community playing for Sydney Grade Cricket (such as Division in Bangladesh). Some of them such as Labib Mahmud, Tahmid Islam, and Mohammad Emran are playing for 1st Grade in New South Wales. Tahmid won the title of Best Player in 2018/19 Shires First Grade and also Kaoser Ahmed Rockey who got best keeper award and we’re really proud of him.
These three young men also played in Thunder Origin Team. From my point of view, Australian cricket has a fair selection method. They hunt for talent from the root level and help them shine in the future.
7) Besides cricket, you are working as well as pursuing a master’s degree in Accounting. How you are balancing all of them?
– It is very hard to maintain all three but as I am very passionate about playing cricket, I make sure I manage everything by assigning my time and putting in the required effort and concentration.
Again, it is quite hard, but it can be enjoyed once you know how to juggle your responsibilities.
8) Which sports do you follow other than cricket? Who is your favourite sportsman?
– As I said earlier, I’m a sports fan and I play various types of sports such as football, badminton, and billiards. I’d say I’m good at all these sports haha
My favorite football players are Ronaldinho from Brazil and Ronaldo from Portugal. In billiards, I follow the legend, Efren Reyes from Philippines. And, I like Lee Chong Wei, the badminton player from Malaysia.
9) What is your ultimate goal after which you’d feel content with your career?
I want to be a successful accountant as well as one of the best cricket players. I want to build both of my careers and not just one, as I love both and I like to learn new things in both of these career paths.
10) Is there any chance to see you playing on the national stage?
– It’s really hard to say anything right now, but I’m trying my level best to play on large platforms such as BBL or for my national team. The latter is what I always dreamt of, so let’s hope for the best!
