Dhaka: Former Bangladesh cricketer Shahriar Nafees has published a book titled Play and Study, Win the Race, highlighting the importance of education alongside sports and its role in athletes' lives. The book was unveiled at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) headquarters today. Nafees spoke about its concept and the research behind the publication.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the book features stories of international athletes, footballers, cricketers, and coaches, as well as promising sportspeople who could not reach the highest level of their respective sports but benefited from their education in their later lives. Nafees emphasized the unique perspectives shared by these individuals on how education played a pivotal role in their personal and professional development.
Nafees mentioned that the book also contains views from academics and professors on the relationship between education and sports. Experts from around the world have contributed their insights on the significance of sports in people's lives, particularly regarding academic performance and success.
The cricketer-turned-author revealed that it took around three to three-and-a-half years to collect and compile the information used in the book. Instead of relying on randomly selected sources, Nafees and his team gathered data from athletes and academics across different fields. The book presents data on 35 athletes, whose stories reflect the synergy between sports and education.
Nafees expressed gratitude to the publisher and his colleagues for their contributions to the project. Despite his professional commitments limiting the time he could devote to the book, he expressed satisfaction at seeing the long-term project finally published. He also thanked the BCB for allowing him to use its information and resources during the preparation of the book, while acknowledging contributions from universities in the United Kingdom and athletes from different levels of Bangladesh's sporting community.