On Monday, the largely Bangladeshi crowd in the Adelaide Oval celebrated like Bangladesh had won the World Cup, after their 15-run victory over England. You cannot blame them. This is their victory. This is the victory of the long-suffering Bangladesh fan. This is the sort of victory the Bangladesh fan deserves more of, just for sticking by this team for so long. As Harsha Bhogle tweeted, they are probably among the most loyal fans in the world.
Being a fan of Bangladeshi cricket is not easy. The time when they too could tap into the same under-dog support which Ireland and Afghanistan bask in presently, are long gone. It has been 14 years since they attained Test status. They have hung around far too long now to be considered under-dogs. On the other hand, nor have they ever maintained a semblance of the sort of consistency in performance that other top teams enjoy.
Flattering to deceive
The number of false dawns has been far too many; uncountable moments when it seemed that Bangladesh would finally shrug off their mediocrity. The victory against Pakistan in 1999. That iconic moment against Australia in 2005. Knocking India and defeating South Africa in the 2007 World Cup – they were all considered the spur which would drive Bangladeshi cricket into world-class territory.
The spur never came. All of them were one-offs. In the process, international cricket’s patience with Bangladesh ran thin. There are frequent calls to strip them of Test status; Bangladesh’s cause is not helped with Afghanistan and Ireland continuously knocking on the door, threatening to break it down.
For the ardent fan (and there are many of them in Bangladesh), following the national team’s fortunes is a frustrating experience. Every new dawn brings the hope that this would be the turning point. Time and time again though, these hopes have been extinguished cruelly.
Heartbreak or ecstasy for fans?
Who knows, this may be another false start. But the Bangladesh fan will not complain. They have gotten used to this. For them, supporting their team is a far simpler affair. There are no expectations of world-record feats or series victories. Unlike Indian cricket fans, Bangladeshi cricket fans have long stopped expecting consistency from the team. Now, the only expectation is that the team competes, that the team lives up its nickname of ‘Tigers’, that the team fights till the end, not just roll up and die.
In that context, this win over England is massive. For one, Bangladeshi fans on Twitter are quite indignant over the fact this is being referred to as an upset. They point to the fact, quite justifiably, that Bangladesh have now won three out of their last four matches against England. While this not just serves as a damning indictment on England, it may also indicate that the Bangladeshi cricket fan has moved on from just expecting victory, now they are finally expecting consistency.
On to India
And now onwards on to India for the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup.
The general consensus among Indian Twitter fans is one of delight. Delight that England had been knocked out. But, much more joy that India would face Bangladesh in their quarter-final, of course provided if Bangladesh don’t defeat New Zealand in their next game. Most fans have assumed that a berth in the semi-final is almost guaranteed.
They would do to be careful.
I stuck my neck out and predicted that England would defeat Bangladesh in this match and move on to the quarter-finals. My rationale was based on Bangladesh’s total lack of constancy. Sure, they could be wonderful on their day but those days were too rare. Especially on pitches in Australia, I reckoned, picking them to beat England, even this ragged-looking English team, seemed a punt too far.
I have been proven very wrong though. You may not call it consistency but this Bangladesh team has stuck in there and refused to let it go. They didn’t find it easy against Afghanistan, but fought it out till things got better in that game and won. They got a bit of luck with their game against Australia washed out, but ensured that they rode that luck by not slipping up against Scotland. And finally when it came to the big game, they backed themselves, got themselves out of a hole again and put it across England.
Purely, man-to-man, India are overwhelming favourites. But, the tantalising memory of 2007 will hang over this encounter. Pressure does strange things to ordinary men, and there will be pressure, especially since this will be a knockout game.
Bangladesh will play like wounded tigers simply because they have nothing to lose anymore. India will be under more pressure as even a tight win for them in this match will set tongues wagging back home.
It might just turn out to be more interesting than what we think.
Being a fan of Bangladeshi cricket is not easy. The time when they too could tap into the same under-dog support which Ireland and Afghanistan bask in presently, are long gone. It has been 14 years since they attained Test status. They have hung around far too long now to be considered under-dogs. On the other hand, nor have they ever maintained a semblance of the sort of consistency in performance that other top teams enjoy.
Flattering to deceive
The number of false dawns has been far too many; uncountable moments when it seemed that Bangladesh would finally shrug off their mediocrity. The victory against Pakistan in 1999. That iconic moment against Australia in 2005. Knocking India and defeating South Africa in the 2007 World Cup – they were all considered the spur which would drive Bangladeshi cricket into world-class territory.
The spur never came. All of them were one-offs. In the process, international cricket’s patience with Bangladesh ran thin. There are frequent calls to strip them of Test status; Bangladesh’s cause is not helped with Afghanistan and Ireland continuously knocking on the door, threatening to break it down.
For the ardent fan (and there are many of them in Bangladesh), following the national team’s fortunes is a frustrating experience. Every new dawn brings the hope that this would be the turning point. Time and time again though, these hopes have been extinguished cruelly.
Heartbreak or ecstasy for fans?
Who knows, this may be another false start. But the Bangladesh fan will not complain. They have gotten used to this. For them, supporting their team is a far simpler affair. There are no expectations of world-record feats or series victories. Unlike Indian cricket fans, Bangladeshi cricket fans have long stopped expecting consistency from the team. Now, the only expectation is that the team competes, that the team lives up its nickname of ‘Tigers’, that the team fights till the end, not just roll up and die.
In that context, this win over England is massive. For one, Bangladeshi fans on Twitter are quite indignant over the fact this is being referred to as an upset. They point to the fact, quite justifiably, that Bangladesh have now won three out of their last four matches against England. While this not just serves as a damning indictment on England, it may also indicate that the Bangladeshi cricket fan has moved on from just expecting victory, now they are finally expecting consistency.
On to India
And now onwards on to India for the quarter-finals of the 2015 World Cup.
The general consensus among Indian Twitter fans is one of delight. Delight that England had been knocked out. But, much more joy that India would face Bangladesh in their quarter-final, of course provided if Bangladesh don’t defeat New Zealand in their next game. Most fans have assumed that a berth in the semi-final is almost guaranteed.
They would do to be careful.
I stuck my neck out and predicted that England would defeat Bangladesh in this match and move on to the quarter-finals. My rationale was based on Bangladesh’s total lack of constancy. Sure, they could be wonderful on their day but those days were too rare. Especially on pitches in Australia, I reckoned, picking them to beat England, even this ragged-looking English team, seemed a punt too far.
I have been proven very wrong though. You may not call it consistency but this Bangladesh team has stuck in there and refused to let it go. They didn’t find it easy against Afghanistan, but fought it out till things got better in that game and won. They got a bit of luck with their game against Australia washed out, but ensured that they rode that luck by not slipping up against Scotland. And finally when it came to the big game, they backed themselves, got themselves out of a hole again and put it across England.
Purely, man-to-man, India are overwhelming favourites. But, the tantalising memory of 2007 will hang over this encounter. Pressure does strange things to ordinary men, and there will be pressure, especially since this will be a knockout game.
Bangladesh will play like wounded tigers simply because they have nothing to lose anymore. India will be under more pressure as even a tight win for them in this match will set tongues wagging back home.
It might just turn out to be more interesting than what we think.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!