The Kia Oval, one of the most prominent stadiums of London, was named as Shahidul Alam Ratan Oval for 24 hours to honour the commendable job of the former Bangladeshi cricketer during the Covid-19 pandemic at UK, informed the Kia Oval website.
During the pandemic, with the aid of National Lottery Funding, many grassroots sport community workers and volunteers continued to upheld the spirit of the game and many prominent sports venues in UK including the Oval joined an initiative to honour those dedicated people.
Ratan, who used to play as a wicket-keeper in Bangladesh back in 80s and 90s, is chief executive of Capital Kids Cricket, a charity which uses cricket as tool to change the lives of disadvantaged children.
During lockdown, Capital Kids Cricket created a digital activity zone to keep kids active, learning and keep in touch with each other socially. Ratan oversaw all their activity, including running virtual sessions with vulnerable kids such as refugees. The charity also arranged regular quiz evenings and family consultations via Zoom to ask about challenges they might face and offer support, reports espncricinfo.com.
