A nationwide T20 cricket tournament will be organised in memory of late Arafat Rahman Koko, the younger son of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. The tournament, planned by the Arafat Rahman Koko Memorial Trust, aims to discover hidden cricket talents from remote areas and offer them a platform to display their skills on a larger stage. The competition is set to commence in mid-December with teams from different districts participating. The tournament will be divided into 10 regional phases, covering the country's eight administrative divisions, with Faridpur and Cumilla treated as separate regions. The winners from each region will advance to the final phase in Dhaka, where the semifinals and final will be held.
BCB director Sharforaj Ahmed, who is also the co-ordinator of the trust, revealed the tournament plan. 'There are many cricketers in remote areas of our country who do not get opportunities to play. Through this tournament, they will get a chance to participate in a good competition,' Sharforaj said. The tournament will have no specific player-category restrictions, allowing players from the national team, Premier League, first division, and other levels to participate based on their availability.
The organisers opted for a 10-region format to balance the number of districts and ensure organisational convenience. Notably, the tournament will be organised entirely by the Arafat Rahman Koko Memorial Trust and not under the jurisdiction of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The venues for the tournament have not yet been finalised, and the organisers will select grounds based on availability during the proposed mid-December window. Details of the prize money and other arrangements will be announced later.
Arafat Rahman Koko, who served as the chairman of the BCB's Games Development Committee from 2002 to 2005, played a crucial role in improving age-group cricket and the player-development structure. During his tenure, he initiated several programmes to enrich the BCB's player pipeline, which led to the emergence of players like Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah Riyad. His contributions to Bangladesh cricket have been widely acknowledged. Sharforaj emphasised that the main objective of the tournament is to honour Koko's memory and his significant contributions to cricket and sports.
