In terms of popularity, the Bangladesh cricket team have been more of a weaker prospect, when compared to the other nations, although they made their first World Cup appearance in 1999 and have been present in all three editions – 2003, 2007 and 2011 – since then.
But this perception has started to change. The world’s number one all-rounder in all three formats of the game, Shakib al Hasan, along with some dynamically talented cricketers like Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza, has given a new global identity to Bangladesh cricket.
The support and fan base of the Bangladesh cricket team is gradually rising and it was pleasant to see cricket lovers from different countries praising the Bengal Tigers.
It was around 5:30am. I was on my way to the Canberra airport to catch my flight to Brisbane where the Tigers will face the mighty co-hosts tomorrow. Needless to say, I was not able to get much sleep following Bangladesh’s emphatic win over Afghanistan Wednesday night.
I was a bit drowsy, but the conversation that followed literally made my day.
The taxi driver who drove me to the Canberra airport suddenly asked me: “This Bangladesh team played well yesterday [Wednesday], didn’t they?”
I was wondering whether he linked my skin tone and the World Cup match to guess I was from Bangladesh.
I became eager to know if he knew anything more about our cricket team and so I replied, “Do you know the Bangladeshi cricketers? Do you follow them?”
Jacob, who hails from Fiji, replied with a smile, “I know Shakibul (Shakib) and that short boy Mushrik (Mushfiq). They played well against Afghanistan, right?”
While we were saying goodbye, he added, “You never know these fellows can even beat the Aussies ... but it will be tough.” It really made me proud. How often do you find such followers of your national players? Little did I know that more surprises awaited me.
As I placed my passport and traveling documents in front of the lady officer at the baggage check-in counter at Canberra domestic airport, she said, “Oh, your team played well yesterday (Wednesday).”
However, Christina (I gathered her name from the name plate), apart from praising the Tigers, also let me know how they are anticipating the next match. “There are some bad weather forecasts on Saturday when you face us (Australia). You would have loved to face our fast bowlers,” she said.
The best moment was still to arrive. As I was boarding the aircraft, I suddenly noticed a fraction of the front page of the Canberra Times newspaper, and it contained a picture of Fahimul Haque, a die-hard Bangladesh cricket supporter who paints his whole body like tiger skin, and was visible all over the television during the match last Wednesday.
It got better. As soon as I grabbed the newspaper, I saw a beautiful picture of a Bengali mother and her daughter clad in red and green. The exposure of our culture, cricket, and fans in such a way really gave us (Bangladeshi journalists who traveled to Australia for the mega event) goosebumps!