Karachi, 25 November 2022:

Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi extended all possible supports towards the participation of Pakistan Snooker Team to participate at the 2^nd Sheikh Kamal SAARC Snooker Championship-2022 during 26 November-01 December 2022 in Dhaka. A group of snooker players, team official, officiating referee and delegate of Pakistan Snooker Team had a meeting with the Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Karachi S. M. Mahbubul Alam at the Chancery.

During the discussion, Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam mentioned that Bangladesh has been improving in different sports. He cited as for example that Bangladesh National Women Football Team became Champion in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship: 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship. Bangladesh beat Nepal 3-1 in the finals of the 2022 SAFF Women’s Championship held on 19 September 2022 in Kathmandu, Nepal. He added that Bangladesh crowned the champions of South Asian women's football for the first time in six editions. He further mentioned that Bangladesh's women's team also won silver in the 2016 SAFF Women's Championship and bronze in the 2010 and 2016 South Asian Games.

Deputy High Commissioner commented that Cricket has been Bangladesh's most significant sporting achievement. Cricket is a very popular game in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which has the responsibility to promote Cricket, was established by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972. Bangladesh won the 1997 ICC Trophy and Bangladesh become full member of the International Cricket Council in 2000. Bangladesh is also a full member of the Asian Cricket Council. Becoming a full member of the ICC Bangladesh in 2000, Bangladesh played her first Test match in the same year against India in Dhaka. Since then Bangladesh has been thriving in the game and has records of defeating all the big cricketing nations in different formats particularly in the ODI. As for example, he mentioned that Bangladesh whitewashed New Zealand in 2010 with a 4-0 in the OID series. He added that Bangladesh had the honor to jointly host the ICC World Cup in 2011 including the opening ceremony in Dhaka. Bangladesh defeated big cricket powers such as India and Sri Lanka on the way to finals in the Asia Cup in 2012. Bangladesh knocked out England and reached the quarter finals of the ICCI World Cup tournament in 2015 for the first-time in her history.

He continued as mentioning that two biggest Test victories for Bangladesh's men's national team came against England in 2016 and Australia in 2017. Bangladesh's greatest performance in any ICC event was reaching the semi-finals of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy and Bangladesh played in her first ever semi-final in the Champions Trophy. Apart from that, Bangladesh was runner-up in the 2012, 2016, and 2018 Asia Cup. Bangladesh Women's team won the Asia Cup defeating India in the final in 2018 to achieve its maiden trophy in a multi-team tournament. Bangladesh also defeated higher-ranked Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the tournaments. Bangladesh's women's cricket team recently qualified for the ICC ODI World Cup 2022. Deputy High Commissioner also mentioned about the brilliant performance of Bangladesh Men’s National Cricket Team in the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

With reference to the 2^nd Sheikh Kamal SAARC Snooker Championship-2022 during 26 November-01 December 2022 in Dhaka, the Deputy High Commissioner mentioned with honour that Freedom Fighter Shaheed Captain Sheikh Kamal has contributed immensely to the sports and cultural movements of Independent Bangladesh after 1971, who was always engaged to present the Bengali and Bengali sports and culture to the world arena and to modernize the sporting in Bangladesh. After independence, Captain Sheikh Kamal was pivotal in establishing Abahani Krirachakra. Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam commented that patriotism and true love for country’s people, sports and culture of Sheikh Kamal is an inspiration for the youth of Bangladesh even today.   

 Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam mentioned that the government of Bangladesh has been working with a vision for a Skilled Youth Power for National Development & Sports for Good Health and Recreation and with a mission for the formation of efficient and productive youth society in entire Bangladesh through training and excellence in sports at national and international level. Deputy High Commissioner also took the opportunity to highlight on various development initiatives and sectoral achievements in Bangladesh. He said that Bangladesh has become a ‘Role Model’ of socio-economic development in the world and Bangladesh has already achieved ‘Vision 2021’ and striving to achieve “Vision 2041” to become a higher middle-income country by 2031 and developed country by 2041.

Pakistan Snooker Team highly appreciated the socio-economic developments and progress in sports in Bangladesh. They lauded the achievemnts of Bangladesh in different sports such as Crickets, and Footballs. They expressed their optimism that their participation to the 2^nd Sheikh Kamal SAARC Snooker Championship-2022 in Dhaka arranged by the Bangladesh Billiards and Snookers Federation would enable them to interact and cooperate more in future. They further commented that Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association and Bangladesh Billiards and Snooker Federation would work with close collaboration for the mutual benefits of the two countries in the games. Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi S. M. Mahbubul Alam assured them to all possible cooperation from the Bangladesh Mission in Karachi.

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