Cricket coach, writer Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury dies

Former cricketer, coach and sports journalist Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury passed away at the age of 74 at a hospital in Dhaka on Tuesday morning.

Jalal breathed his last around 11:00am while undergoing treatment at Anwer Khan Modern Hospital, confirmed Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh General Secretary Debabrata Paul.

The former cricketer was admitted to the hospital on September 15 due to a respiratory infection and had been taken to the intensive care unit, where he was put on ventilation support.

Jalal had been a prolific cricket writer besides being a professional cricketer during the seventies and eighties and was a former general secretary of Bangladesh Sports Journalist Association.

As a cricket player, Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury started in the Dhaka League for Udity Club in the mid-1960s. An opening batsman and wicketkeeper, he went on to play for Young Pegasus, Town Club and Dhanmondi Club and represented Bangladesh Railway in the National Championship competition. He was a member of the first Bangladesh side in post-independence Bangladesh.       

He received his diploma in cricket coaching from the National Institute of Sports in Patiala, India in 1979 and subsequently coached prominent Dhaka League teams Abahani, Mohammedan, Victoria, Shadharan Bima, Azad Sporting and Kalabagan. In his distinguished coaching career, Jalal had been associated with the Bangladesh National Team on a number of occasions. He was one of the coaches of the Bangladesh 1979 and 1997 ICC Trophy squads. He was the Head Coach of Bangladesh in the ICC U19 World Cup in 2002.

Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury had also served the BCB as a member of its different standing committees which include Game Development, Cricket Operations and the Umpires Committee. 

The BCB expressed its condolences on Jalal’s passing away and the BCB directors observed a minute’s silence ahead of the 12th meeting of the Board in his memory.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and former skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza also expressed their condolences on the saddening news of Jalal’s death.

“It’s difficult to see the passing away of those who guided me during my early days. Everyone who saw your contribution to Bangladesh cricket will always remember you,” Mashrafe wrote in a heartfelt message.

His first namaj-e-janaza was held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in the afternoon with the second namaj-e-janaza being held at a field beside Iraqi Mosque in Azimpur.