When Bangladesh was all out after just scoring 58 runs in the match against West Indies, the die-hard cricket buffs went berserk. They even booed their cricketers. The March 4 match between Bangladesh and West Indies was expected to turn out to be a bad day in the memory of the Bangladeshi fans.
They were shattered and many had thought that the match between England and Bangladesh would not withdraw such a huge crowd.
But the opposite of this happened on Friday when hundreds of thousands of fans from across the country flocked the stadium to lay their hands on the tickets so that they could watch the proceedings with their friends and beloved one.
The fans were upbeat about their team’s chances. They hit the stadium with a lot of expectation. It appears that the cricket enthusiasts for the World Cup have remained undimmed with the calamitous defeat of March 4.
The fans’ obsession for the game could be gauged from the fact that many stood in queues for more than 48 hours to purchase tickets of opening ceremony in Dhaka. Though Bangladesh has only started playing cricket of late but its popularity has gone up.
The success of the show till now only proves a point that civil society groups are highly active in Bangladesh. Aly Zaker, head of a local advertising agency said: “Without these conditions it is not possible to organize a mega event like this.” Bangladeshi fans are hopeful that their team has the potential to floor England on Friday clash in Chittagong. A cricket fan Abdul Hakim said: “If our players can give their best in the field then we can beat England.”
