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A heroes' welcome awaits the cricketers today

Our cricketers come home today. They are heroes after mind-boggling win over heavyweights Pakistan in the World Cup and a grand reception from 120 million proud Bangladeshis awaits them.

A Biman flight carrying the Bangladesh cricket team touches down at the Zia International Airport at 8.45am.

Foreign Minister Abdus Samad Azad and State Minister for Sports Obaidul Quader will receive the cricketers at the airport, said the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials who will also be present there.

From the airport, the entourage drive straight to the National Parade Square at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to attend a public reception scheduled to start at 10am. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend as chief guest in the reception that is being organised by the Dhaka City Corporation.

With city Mayor Mohammad Hanif in the chair, Obaidul Quader, BCB president Saber Hossain Choudhury and captain of the national cricket team Aminul Islam Bulbul will also speak on the occasion.

The prime minister will distribute her promised gifts among the team members.

Representatives of political parties and former national cricketers will be given seats on the podium. They will also be allowed to greet the victorious cricketers with bouquets.

Ministers, ruling party leaders including MPs and representatives of small parties are expected to attend the programme.

Popular actor Asaduzzaman Noor will be the anchor man at the show.

Bangladesh Television will broadcast live the grand reception, expected to be attended by numerous cricket fans and citizens proud of the national achievement.

Meanwhile, major opposition parties such as BNP, Jatiya Party (Ershad) and Jamaat-e-Islami have decided to boycott today's reception. However, a 15-member BNP delegation led by party's sports secretary Hafizuddin Ahmed, MP will greet the cricketers with bouquets on behalf of party chief and Opposition leader Khaleda Zia on their arrival at the airport.

The BNP team will also include former state minister for sports Sadek Hossain Khoka, MP, Mohamedan Sporting Club general secretary Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan and footballer Zakaria Pintu. The BNP team will be backed by a group of party activists who will wait outside the lounge.

The party also plans to organise a separate reception for the cricket heroes. For this, Hafizuddin will write to the BCB president seeking a date for holding their planned reception before the team goes back to England on June 8, BNP sources said.

If the reception is not possible by June 8, added the sources, the BNP will seek a date for the purpose when the team will be back home after the cricket final on June 20. Opposition leader's official residence at Minto Road has been chosen for the BNP reception.

The Dhaka University has made special arrangement to transport its students, who turned the university campus into a centre of ecstatic celebration of the victory, to the reception venue.

The university buses will operate in all regular routes and carry the students from the campus to the reception.

Tomorrow, the BCB will organise a victory procession with the cricket heroes. Starting at 10am from the BCB office, the procession will parade through the streets at Fakirerpool, Kakrail, Malibagh, Maghbazar, Bangla Motor, Kalabagan and New Market areas to terminate at the Central Shaheed Minar.