How is the cricketers’ Eid in Harare? Informing everyone about Eid Mubarak, fast bowler Taskin Ahmed said, ‘I miss my family very much. But there is nothing to do. I have come to play for the country, it is also a matter of joy. And here we are like a family. Maybe my parents, my two and a half year old son Tasfiq; I miss him a lot too. Even then, it feels good that by the grace of Allah we were able to offer Eid prayers here. ‘
Nurul Hasan, who played a great innings the day before, also congratulated everyone on Eid Mubarak and said, “Everyone will celebrate Eid in a healthy way, that is the hope.”
There is another team that came to Harare on the occasion of the series at the Garden Hotel in Bronte. The team consists of a few journalists from Bangladesh and people from Total Sports who are engaged in television broadcasting. Eid prayers were offered by two Bangladeshi commentators Athar Ali Khan and Shamim Ashraf Chowdhury, Pakistani commentator Sikander Bakht and four Bangladeshi journalists who came to cover the series.
Athar Ali Khan led the Eid prayers at the Garden Hotel in Bronte. He has been preparing for this for two days so that the prayers can be taught accurately.
The former Bangladesh cricketer is known as a commentator at the end of his playing career. Wherever Bangladesh cricket is, he is there. However, for the first time since the 1986 ICC Trophy, Athar Ali is not with his family on Eid. Sometimes he celebrated Eid once or twice outside the country but he was with his wife.
Recalling the 1986 ICC Trophy, Athar said, “It was probably Eid the day before one of the matches. We went to practice in Birmingham and prayed Eid prayers on the field.
Another commentator Shamim Ashraf Chowdhury also has fond memories of Eid during the game, ‘Bangladesh had a match against Canada in Durban in 2003 World Cup. I said in the commentary, Bangladesh team will surely lose to Canada and give Eid gift to the people of the country. But unfortunately we lost the match by 60 runs.
Although the number of people celebrating Eid at the Garden Hotel in Bronte is less than that of Team Hotel Cresta Lodge, the mood of Eid seems to be more here! On the occasion of Eid, Tanvir Ahmed, Head of Production of Total Sports, has taken over the kitchen of the hotel today. For the Bangladeshi guests staying at the hotel, she is cooking special Eid food with her own hands at noon.
Of course, Eid without family is not new to those who live with cricket. You have heard of Athar, the incident of being out of the country on Eid has happened many times in the life of cricketers. This is the last time the Bangladesh team has celebrated Eid outside the country during the 2019 World Cup. They spent the Eid-ul-Fitr at the England World Cup in London.