FLYING THE FLAG: No doubts about who she is supporting as she waves the Bangladesh flag from the stands of the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium during the Tigers' win over the Netherlands yesterday.
In a match where Bangladesh all but meandered to a win, the one true highlight for keen cricket followers was the point in the first innings when the world's best all-rounder marked out his run-up to bowl at the best all-rounder in the world.
But all things said and done, Shakib Al Hasan (ranked number one) and Ryan ten Doeschate (statistically number one) aside, Bangladesh versus Netherlands at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium is not a fixture that should generally inspire much fanfare.
The match itself was no classic; a subtle, low scoring affair fought out under the increasingly pulsating sun. Truth be told, Bangladesh have played much better than this and the Dutch, suffice to say, will be remembered in these parts more for their football than their skills at wielding the willow. There was also no chance of a Tamim special, the hometown left-hander succumbing to his second duck in the tournament, perishing in the first over. And the closest thing to football at the ground was Netherlands opener Wesley Barresi whose name is the conjunction of two famous and popular players of the beautiful game.
But despite all of this, one glance at the 17,002 packed into the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium on this Monday would have told you a different story.
Then again, cricket in the sub-continent is a different beast altogether and for the thousands who usually gather at the stadiums, winning is an important but not a defining factor. It sounds strange, especially since the events that have followed on from Bangladesh's recent wins and losses but to the general fan yesterday, while Bangladesh's glory was imminent, achievable and important, something to the contrary was not going to stop them from having a good time.
The feeling perhaps was borne out of a sense of complacency at the opponents, but the Dutch showed plenty of resolve to keep an expectantly rampant scoring-rate in check throughout the encounter. In the end, the 160 they got was never going to be enough, but the Europeans ensured that the Tigers did not rack up the score in record time.
Regardless, the cheering never stopped; not for the beating sun, not for the oppressive heat and not even for the sweltering humidity. But one thing that it did ensure was that a large number of supporters had to abandon their uncovered seats to seek what little shelter they could under the feeble overhang of the turnstiles. This, then, gave off the impression of a marginally empty stadium, which for fans watching on television might have been misleading.
The atmosphere was nowhere near the intensity that marked the England or Ireland match, but for a day match this was as colourful, boisterous and light-hearted a crowd as you could wish to see anywhere in the world.
And it was not just restricted to Chittagongians. Many countrymen had made the trip from surrounding areas while some even braved ten-hour-long bus journeys from Dhaka the night before for a chance to say that they were there for a World Cup win. Mexican waves were the order of the day and beating drums and painted faces have almost become the norm at the stadium. For a select few, it was a case of loyalties divided as well; a small section of what appeared to be Netherlands supporters was later revealed to be a small collection of Dutch men and women with their significant others, some of whom were even Bangladeshis sporting the famous Oranje for the day.
Such 'mutiny' might have been derided with chants of 'turncoat' a few years ago, but today they were just the target of some good-natured jibes from a small section. In truth, the riveting drama that characterised the last two Bangladeshi victories was patently absent on Monday, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, and if the beating drums were any evidence, no one left complaining.
