||CF Correspondent||

Bangladesh’s most senior cricket coach and the pioneer of the country's cricket coaching, Altaf Hossain passed away in Dhaka on Tuesday leaving the cricket fraternity into great shock.

Born in 1938 at Hooghly district of West Bengal, Altaf was a bowling all-rounder in his playing days. He was the first cricketer from erstwhile East Pakistan to be called up for Pakistan national cricket team in 1965, though he did not get a chance to play any match.

Late Altaf was a pioneer of cricket coaching in independent Bangladesh and was involved with the national cricket team in many capacities from 1976 to 2001. He retired as cricket coach from National Sports Council in 2006.

The former coach was also one of the initiators of women cricket in Bangladesh. Under his guidance, women’s cricket started its journey with maiden a tour by Abahani Krira Chakra to West Bengal in 1982.

He had worked closely with the BCB in creating a base for talented women cricketers from 1996 to 2007nand played a pioneering role in the re-emergence of the cricket in the period following the War of Liberation

Altaf was awarded National Sports Award in 1999 for his contribution in cricket. His first Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at the Hussaini Dalan Mosque, Nazimuddin Road after Zohr prayers today.

His second Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at the National Sports Council at 3:30 pm. The Bangladesh Cricket Board expressed its condolence at the death of Syed Altaf Hossain and extended deepest sympathies to his bereaved family.