Pace in the bloodline

Cricket has long seen families pass the game down generations, with father-son pairs making their mark across the world.

From India's Amarnaths (Lala, Surinder and Mohinder) and Gavaskars (Sunil and Rohan) to Australia's Marshes (Geoff, Shaun and Mitchell) and England's Broads (Chris and Stuart), many sons have followed in their fathers' footsteps, some surpassing their legacies while others fell short.

In Bangladesh, such examples are rare. Last year, during the National Cricket League T20, Jishan Alam, son of former wicketkeeper-batter Jahangir Alam, made headlines by smashing a century on debut. Jahangir played only three ODIs, but Jishan, now 20, has already made his way into the Bangladesh 'A' team.

Now another father-son story is unfolding, this time with former pacer Alamgir Kabir and his son, Abdul Aziz.

Alamgir played three Tests for Bangladesh and is credited with discovering talents like Shoriful Islam and Nahid Rana. He now works as pace-bowling coach of the women's national team, while his son Aziz, a right-arm quick like him, is part of the national U-15 set-up.

A class nine student at Rajshahi Cantonment Board School and College, Aziz was introduced to cricket at his father's academy in Chapainawabganj.

"My father took me there when I was young. I started with tennis-ball cricket, then moved on to playing seniors and gradually made it from district to divisional level. Now I'm here with the U-15s," he said.

Alamgir had initially encouraged his son to be a leg-spinning all-rounder, wary of the injuries fast bowlers face. But Aziz soon switched to pace after watching Shoriful Islam at the academy.

"He was a good leg-spinner, but after seeing Shoriful bowl fast, he just wanted to bowl pace. Over time it became his habit," Alamgir said.

"His main skill was batting, but he couldn't quite deliver at district level, so he's stuck to pace bowling. I only want him to enjoy the game without setting targets like the national team. If opportunities come, he should just try to make the most of them."

The two recently faced each other in an unusual setting. During the ongoing Challenge Cup at BKSP in Savar, Aziz's U-15 side played against the women's Red Team, where Alamgir serves as coach. The boys, fielded as a third team in the competition due to training disruptions caused by weather, surprised many by defeating the women by 87 runs in their opening match. Aziz opened the bowling, taking 1 for 12 in four overs, though his father felt he could have done more.

"He's got good pace but needs to smoothen his run-up and apply his strength better," Alamgir observed.

Whether Aziz can follow or even surpass his father remains to be seen, but his journey has already begun on the recognised pathway to higher honours.