Former opening batsman Tamim Iqbal said on Sunday that he hopes international cricket will return soon to Bogura.

Tamim and former national team skipper Mohammad Ashraful inaugurated the Zia Cricket Tournament 2024 at Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogura district on Sunday.

The people of Bogura have not had the chance to enjoy Tigers’ cricket performance since their last ODI against Zimbabwe held in December 2006 in the district.

Bangladesh beat the African nation by 26 runs in their last match in Bogura.

However, the last international cricket match was played in 2009 when Pakistan and Sri Lankan women’s teams faced each other.

Many feel Bogura was not allowed to host international cricket matches due to political reasons. On Sunday, Tamim insisted that they came to promote cricket more than anything else.

“We have got good memories here as we won against Sri Lanka in 2006 and it’s nice to be back. But the most important thing is that I am happy because we are playing sports [once again in the district]. And I always say that wherever sports is promoted, sportsmen like us – me, Aminul bhai and Ashraful bhai – try to be present there, and do our best to work out how sports can be promoted in the right way,” Tamim said while inaugurating the tournament at Bogura on Sunday.

“The intention of the committee is absolutely spot on, and I feel their interest is to promote sports well, which is always and always the right thing to do [in sports]. And yes people can talk about political things and all, but the most important thing is to promote sports for which we are here,” he added.

“I hope this tournament will be a successful one. It will start from Bogura and end in Dhaka. Your support is very important. When you came to a stadium to enjoy a match, it shows how passionate you are about cricket,” he further added.

“In 2006, the Bangladesh cricket team played here for the last time, but hopefully, the team will return here in 2024 or 2025,” he concluded.

The Zia Cricket Tournament 2024 is being arranged to find out cricketers from the grassroots level and thereby bolster the country's cricketing pipeline.

The tournament will see two teams from each of the ten divisions compete against each other to qualify for the next round.

Then, two teams from Dhaka – Dhaka North and Dhaka South – will join the other divisional teams to play the next round which will be held from 16 to 19 January.

The final will be held on 19 January, the day when the country will celebrate the birth anniversary of former president and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman.