Published: 11:43 PM, 13 October 2026
Arafat Rahman Koko's idea to be followed to unearth cricketing talents
Arafat Rahman Koko, the youngest son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, served as Chairman of the BCB's Games Development Committee from 2002 to 2005. - Agencies
The Arafat Rahman Koko Memorial Trust has outlined a nationwide T20 cricket tournament and 10 regional academies to revive grassroots cricket and rebuild Bangladesh's player-development pipeline by following the model introduced by Koko during his tenure at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
The proposed tournament and academies are intended to create a more structured pathway for young cricketers, from grassroots competitions to higher levels of domestic cricket and eventually the national team, a model Arafat Rahman successfully executed during his tenure in shaping Bangladesh cricket.
Arafat Rahman Koko, the youngest son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, served as Chairman of the BCB's Games Development Committee from 2002 to 2005.
During his tenure, several initiatives were taken to bolster age-group cricket and improve the country's player-development structure.
He was also active in developing the BCB's talent pipeline, with players like Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad subsequently becoming stalwarts in Bangladesh cricket.
Koko, himself a cricketer, furthermore promoted a more professional approach to cricket, helping create opportunities for players and officials to pursue the game as a full-time profession.
As part of a wider cricket development programme, the BCB's High Performance (HP) programme was established to improve the skills of promising cricketers.
Koko also emphasized grassroots development, including the appointment of coaches in 64 districts and the regular organization of district leagues alongside school cricket.
These initiatives helped strengthen the foundations of Bangladesh's cricketing talent pipeline.
Bangladesh cricket eventually reaped the reward of that pipeline when Tamim, the incumbent BCB President and co. had produced glittering performance that saw Bangladesh played 2015 World Cup quarterfinal and 2017 ICC Champions Trophy semifinal.
In this period, they played Asia Cup final several times and also clinched a tri-nation trophy ahead of 2019 World Cup.
However, district-level cricket has struggled to maintain the momentum of earlier years, leaving the domestic game increasingly centred on Dhaka.
The decline in opportunities outside the capital has raised concerns about the depth of the national talent pool and the ability to produce quality replacements for established players.
The consequences are evident in Bangladesh's dependence on a relatively small group of cricketers across all three international formats.
Leading cricketing nations like Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and India have greater squad depth, allowing them to field separate teams in Tests, ODIs and T20Is during overlapping schedules in different parts of the world.
Bangladesh, by contrast, often relies on the same five or six key players across formats. The demanding workload leaves them with limited opportunities for rest and recovery, increasing the risk of injuries and placing additional pressure on the team.
BCB Director Sharforaj Ahmed, who also coordinates the Arafat Rahman Koko Memorial Trust, believes Koko's development model could help address these problems by expanding the pool of players available for national selection.
"While we came up with several plans, we were not given any space to work with cricket through our trust during the last 17 years," Sharforaj told BSS.
He said the trust's immediate priorities were to organize a nationwide T20 tournament and establish cricket academies in regional centres to provide emerging players with greater opportunities to develop their skills in collaboration with the BCB.
The proposed T20 tournament will be organised in 10 regional phases, covering the country's eight administrative divisions, with Faridpur and Cumilla treated as separate regions.
