Watching Bangladesh play Pakistan at the Mecca of Cricket
Watching Bangladesh play Pakistan at cricket isn’t exactly on my bucket list of things to do! But when the venue is Lord’s and the occasion is the World Cup that can definitely tip the balance. Being the beneficiary of a generous Bangladeshi fan who couldn’t make it, it was a surreal experience sitting among a sea of heaving green of different hues, light for Pakistan and dark for Bangladesh with nary a hint of the old familiar India blue in sight. Even though I could be accused of bias on behalf of the team I had come to support, I did think that aesthetically the dark green streaked with the blood red of the rising Bangladeshi sun outdid the white Pakistani crescent and star on the Islamic green background.
The atmosphere was absolutely electric at Lord’s with the stands packed with fans of both countries, decked out in the colours of their home team, jostling shoulder to shoulder and screaming in ecstasy or moaning in despair every time a boundary was scored or a wicket fell. Given that these two countries were once one and that they had been torn apart in a bitter and bloody war in 1971 in which India had played a decisive role in the creation of Bangladesh, I was expecting more rancour among the opposing sides. In fact I had automatically cast myself in the role of anxious parent observing a wayward daughter flirting with the bad boy of the neighbourhood ! As it turned out there was a remarkable lack of animosity and the fans waved and cheered in great good spirit. Definitely no comparison to the kind of aggro and needle that you would see in an India-Pakistan clash.
The feeling of being at Lord’s the Mecca of Cricket was certainly special. Out on the field of play the players of the two Muslim teams went about their business. The ancient and elegant Member’s Stand basked in its own self-importance in the bright sunlight at one end. Directly opposite at the other end was the elongated giant glass eye of the futuristic Media Centre which had been completed in time for the 1999 World Cup – it reminded me of something out of the sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. At the lunch interval, I took a quick stroll over to the small museum which showcased the entire history of cricket along with captivating memorabilia of the greats from the cricketing kit of W.G. Grace to the actual tiny wooden Ashes urn. Indian fans should not miss Sunil Gavaskar’s fibre-glass “skull cap” worn as futile protection against bouncers and Saurav Ganguly’s jersey which made history when he stripped it off to celebrate India’s dramatic win in the 2002 NatWest final. Access to the museum is free with a ticket to Lord’s – on non-playing days you have to pay to get in but that also includes a tour of the Media Centre.
As the match wore on, it began to follow a familiar script, much to the dismay of the green-and-the-red. Pakistan has generally had the upper hand in its contests with Bangladesh and now it’s two dashing young openers Babar Azam, often likened to Virat Kohli when he first burst open the cricketing scene, and Imam Ul-Haq, nephew of illustrious captain Imzamam, were racking up close to 200 runs for the first wicket. Babar fell agonisingly four runs short of his century but Imam made the landmark, immediately falling to his knees and kissing the pitch as he gave thanks to Allah. The agnostic cynic in me wondered if this was all for public consumption (particularly back home in Pakistan) or whether he genuinely believed in this act of piety. Whatever his motivations, the magic didn’t last and he was out the next ball, stepping on his wicket. The bowler responsible Mustafizur Rahman proved once again what a talent he is for Bangladesh, taking another five-wicket haul with his left-arm medium pace.
Set an achievable 316 to win, the Bangladeshi Tigers made heavy weather of the chase, eventually falling short by nearly a hundred runs. My heart went out to Shakib Al Hasan, their talismanic player who once again played a lone hand with a battling 64. At the end of World Cup 2019, Shakib would end up with 600+ runs and eleven wickets, the only player in history to achieve this remarkable milestone.
The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled;
The flame that lit the battle’s wreck
Shone round him o’er the dead
At the other end a young tearaway Shaheen Afridi was stamping his mark on the match, cleaning up the Tigers with figures of 35 for 6, the best bowling of World Cup 2019 and was very deservedly the Man of the Match.
At the end of the game, I couldn’t resist going up to a charismatic and vociferous young Pakistani fan who had been egging the crowds on and was overjoyed to see his team win.
ME: You may have beaten Bangladesh again but you know of course the team that you have never won against in any World Cup ?
FAN: (eyes narrowing suspiciously) Are you from India ?
ME: (nodding with a sly smile)
FAN: (adroitly breaking into a laugh and giving me a hug) But after all you are a brother from another mother so what’s the difference man ??!!
