What transpired after the Bangladesh cricket team’s meek surrender to the West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Friday was nothing less than mayhem.
Knives were out from every quarter to savage each and every member of the failed brigade whom they affectionately call Tigers.
The whole nation was devastated after the Tigers were bundled out for 58, their lowest total ever in a one-day match. The dream was shattered and the party of 160 million people was spoiled in the most stunning fashion. Fans who turned up to watch the game cried and then cursed after feeling betrayed by their trusted ones.
These emotional outbursts from the die-hard loyal bands were quite understandable and acceptable. But going overboard with those emotions and pelting stones at the team buses of both the winners and the vanquished was hardly acceptable, much like the way Bangladesh batted on a ‘Black Friday’.
That unholy act can be best described as someone spitting up in the air, with the projectile crashing heavily on the Red and Green face, allowing the cynics to take the opportunity of belittling a cricket-crazy nation.
There is a thin line between frustration and that frustration boiling over into violence or anger. And as for the fans, they will have to choose wisely for the sake of the game they follow so passionately.
After the defeat, the Tigers were pressed by the press heavily. Perhaps no words in the dictionary were left to portray how badly they played and how morbidly it affected the whole nation.
True, that a total of 58 is totally unacceptable. More unacceptable though, was the amount of overs they occupied at the crease. True, there was a tinge of arrogance in the batting. More importantly however, the players lacked the mental discipline and application in the middle when the going was getting tough. True that nothing went right from the mindless flashing blade of Tamim Iqbal to the fragile resistance of the tail. But more importantly it was one of those days when everything goes awry.
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was right to say that it was one of those days ‘we played badly’. But at the same time the nation is owed an apology from the captain. And many believe he should have done it during the post-match briefing.
It was an opportunity lost for a beleaguered captain. Sill, it was only a game lost and not the end of the world. The Tigers will live to fight many more days and the next one is exactly a week away. Enough time to think and prepare. To prepare not to win but to stand up and fight like Tigers. And we promise we will be there because we are the fanatic followers of the Tigers.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
