Bangladesh may not be at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but there is at least one Bangladeshi in the Cup. Rakbir Hasan is the media and communications manager of Federazione Cricket Italiana, the Italian cricket federation.
The 44-year-old smiled when the distinction was pointed out to him by Metro during a welcome reception for the Italian team at the Italian consulate general on Monday.
“I was so looking forward to the match against Bangladesh. We face Scotland (which Italy faced in its opening game) often, but we hardly get to play Test-playing nations like Bangladesh,” said the man from Mirpur, Dhaka, who still holds a Bangladesh passport.
“Awcricketiyo karone cricket-er kshoti holo. Je kono cricketpremi tai bolbe (Cricket was harmed for non-cricketing reasons. Any cricket fan would say so),” he added, clarifying that he did not follow Bangladesh cricket anymore to be able to share a more incisive view.
Italian team media manager Rakbir Hasan with players and officials, as well as the consul general Riccardo Dalla Costa, at the Italian consulate general
Hasan was 23 when he set off for Italy in 2005.
“I was then a Dhaka University student. However, on reaching Italy, I realised how difficult it would be to establish my Bangladeshi educational credentials. So I enrolled in an Italian school in Class VIII,” he recalled.
High scores at the intermediate level encouraged him to pursue a diploma in engineering. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in philosophy at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome. “I only completed my graduation in 2021,” he mentioned.
He speaks fluent Italian and even translates for some team members who do not speak much English, such as the Sri Lanka-born Crishan Kalugamage or the senior Italian officials. His wife runs an Indian restaurant in Pordenone, near Venice.
Asked about the number of Bangladeshis in Venice — they typically sell souvenirs at Piazza San Marco or other tourist spots and work in hotels — he pointed out a drawback. “They reach through various means, but once they do, they are unwilling to learn Italian. As they fail to overcome the language barrier, they are unable to form social connections,” reflected the man who has done a short stint for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
In contrast, his own education has been in Italian, said Hasan.
Hasan is also the national representative of Gruppo Italiano Arbitri di Cricket & Scorers. “That’s the Italian Group of Cricket Umpires and Scorers. I head the umpire’s association in Italy,” he explained.
Having been on the ICC development panel for umpires between 2018 and 2021, he has officiated in the ICC T20 Women’s Qualifiers in 2019 and the European Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers in 2018. “I even stood in the final of the latter,” he recalled.
With the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) set to start across Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands this summer, he is hopeful that Italian franchisees will join the league next year.
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if KKR opens a Milan Knight Riders or Rome Knight Riders?” he smiled, confirming his intention to stage a return to the umpire’s panel.
For now, he is popping up on social media in a reel posted by the federation, where he stands in front of the dressing room at Eden Gardens, urging Calcuttans to support Italy in Bengali, with a thick Dhaka accent.