e_Paper, Sunday, July 23, 2017

Sports 19
DT
SUNDAY, JULY 23, 2017
Mezbah, Shirin best Bangladesh
athletes yet again
Players and officials of the Titans Khulna Masters react during the press conference in Mirpur yesterday MD MANIK
2017 MCC players’ draft held
• Ali Shahriyar Bappa
The players’ draft of the Masters
Cricket Carnival 2017 was held yesterday
in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla
National Stadium.
Six franchises completed their
squad formalities during the players’
draft.
The teams are - Titans Khulna
Masters led by Habibul Bashar, previously
known as Gemcon Khulna
Masters, Ispahani Chittagong
Masters led by Akram Khan, Acme
Rajshahi led by Khaled Mashud,
Expo All Stars led by Hasibul Hossain
Shanto, Raw National Dhaka
Metropolis led by Khaled Mahmud
and Bashundhara Dhaka division
led by Naimur Rahman.
Former players, who played for
the national team or “A” side or the
Dhaka Premier Division Cricket
League for at least five years are eligible
to take part in this tournament.
The 18-over-a-side tournament
will start from Wednesday in Cox’s
Bazar’s Sheikh Kamal International
Cricket Stadium.
This is the second edition of the
tournament.
The first edition was also held in
Cox’s Bazar.
Khulna were victorious in the
MCC 2017 SQUADS
inaugural edition.
Defending champion Khulna
have changed their name this year
and will participate as Titans Khulna
Masters.
Former Bangladesh captain Habibul
Basahr Sumon is the Icon of
the team and will lead the Titans
Khulna as the previous year.
With the participation of six
sides divided into two groups, the
final of the four-day long tournament
will also be held in Cox’s Bazar
on Saturday.
The tournament will be organised
by Walton and powered by
Scan Cement. •
• Tribune Report
Mezbah Ahmed became the fastest
man of the country for the sixth
consecutive time while Shirin Akter
emerged as the nation’s fastest
woman for the fifth straight instance
as the sprint duo continued
their supremacy in the 100m of the
National Summer Athletics Championship
2017 yesterday.
There were complaints from
both the sprinters regarding the
poor condition of the track at Bangabandhu
National Stadium as Mezbah
took 10.80s to complete his
run while Shirin clocked 12.30s to
touch the finishing line.
Both the timings were recorded
through hand-timing, which was a
common scene throughout the twoday
event that concluded yesterday.
The 22-year old Mezbah has been
dominating the BNS track since
2013 and the Bangladesh Navy
sprinter needed only one more title
to touch a 34-year-old record created
by Mosharraf Hossain Shamim,
who won seven straight titles from
the late 1970s to the early 80s.
“My target was to make it sixth
straight time. Now I will try to extend
it to seven and eight, if possible
more, before going into retirement,”
said a delighted Mezbah
after finishing his run.
He added, “Since Shamim sir
has seven titles then my target is to
make it eight.”
Mezbah’s best timing is 10.72s,
which he set in the 2013 Bangladesh
Games.
He then went on to win three
national crowns and two titles in
the summer athletics.
“I’m not satisfied with my timing
but at the same time, it is not
possible to produce great timing on
that field. The field is old now and
the track is slow,” said Mezbah.
“I’m leaving the country for the
World Championship on August 1.
If I made any mistakes [yesterday]
it would be a setback to my participation
in the World Championship.
If I have to make a better result, I
need international standard training.
It is better if we get our times
in electronic timing,” concluded
Mezbah, who clocked 10.88s in
Bhubaneswar in India last month.
Mezbah will be the only athlete
from Bangladesh to take part in
the World Athletics Championship
2017, which will be held in London
from August 4-13. Mezbah is scheduled
to fly on August 1.
Like Mezbah (Bagerhat), Shirin
(Satkhira) also hails from south
Bengal and both participated in the
Olympics for the first time in Rio,
Brazil last year. Shirin, whose personal
best is 11.99s, is determined
to win a gold medal in the next
South Asian Games.
“I was training in BKSP for quite
a while under Kafi sir. I believe I
can improve my timing in the upcoming
events, both at home and
abroad,” said a confident Shirin. •
Expo All Stars
Masudur Rahman Mukul, Talha Jubair,
Mohammad Asadullah Khan Biplob,
Mohammad Ehsanul Haque Seezan,
Hasibul Hossain Shanto, Rashidul
Haque Sumon, Mehrab Hossain Opi,
Morshed Ali Khan Sumon, Jahangir
Alam, Neaz Morshed Nahid, Sohel
Hossain Pappu, Jahirul Haque Khan
Rashed, Mohammad Nuruzzaman Tuhin
and Baqui Billah Himel
Dhaka Metro Masters
Khaled Mahmud Sujan, Neeyamur
Rashid Rahul, Tanvir Ahmed Timir, AIM
Moniruzzaman, Faisal Hossain Dickens,
Anisur Rahman Sanchoy, Monirul
Islam Taj, Mohammad Anisul Hakim
Rabbani, Mohammad Iqbal Hossain,
Sajjad Ahmed Shipon, Minhaj Ahmed
Shafil, Imran Hamid Partho, Mir Ziauddin
Ahmed and Mizanur Rahman Babul
Acme Rajshahi
Khaled Masud Pilot, Abdul Hannan
Sarkar, Mohammad Rafikul Islam Khan,
Javed Omar Belim, Sheikh Golam
Mostofa, Mohammad Monjurul Islam,
Mahmudul Hasan Rana, Mohammad
Rasheduzaman, Ali Arman Rajon,
Tarikul Islam Tarek, Gazi Alamgir, Imtiaz
Mohammed Polash and AZM Shafayatul
Kirom
Bashundhara Dhaka division
Zakir Hasan, Mohammad Sanuar Hossain,
Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Mohammad
Rafique, Shahriar Hossain Biddut, Towhid
Hossain Shamol, Arafat Salauddin, Lablur
Rahman, Shafaq al Zabir, Imran Parvez
Ripon, Adil Ahmed, Humayun Kabir, Sabbir
Khan Shafin and Towhidul Islam Chapal
Titans Khulna Masters
Mohammad Harunur Rashid Liton, Mohammad
Salim, Jamaluddin Ahmed, Mohammad
Hasauzzaman Jhoru, Habibul
Bashar Sumon, Neaz Morshed Poltu,
Shafiuddin Ahmed Babu, Mohammad
Murad Khan, Tasrikul Islam Totam, Anwar
Hossain Monir, Fahim Muntasir Sumit,
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Patwary,
Shakil Kashem and Amiruzzaman Babu
Ispahani Chittagong Masters
Akram Khan, Minhajul Abedin Nannu,
Enamul Haque Moni, Tareq Aziz Khan,
Ahsanullah Hasan, Shahnewaz Kabir
Shuvro, Saifullah Khan Jem, Saiful Islam
Khan, Mushfiqur Rahman Babu,
Zubair Mohammed Ishtiak, Fazle Bari
Khan and Golam Mortuza
Shirin Akter and Mezbah Ahmed celebrate winning the 100m sprint in the National
Athletics Championship at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday COURTESY