So, a fantastic cricket carnival has come to an end. Finally,
Sri Lanka had
broken the final hoodoo. The Lankans had lifted the trophy in style by beating
the Indians at Mirpur and it was a grand exit for two of cricket’s finest
willow-wielders, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who will never be seen
in in the T20 format at the international level anymore.
Overall, the World Twenty20 had been a fascinating
tournament full of fantastic matches and great individual performances. Certainly,
Bangladesh have
organized this event successfully, but even last year it was quite unthinkable
that Bangladesh
would be able to organize this mega event in a sound manner.
Last year, Bangladesh
had been in an absolute turmoil due to political chaos. Bomb blasts, torching
of vehicles and fighting between the riot police and political activists were a
day to day event. It was a complex situation. The whole nation was depressed.
Political instability threatened to disrupt the very fiber
and fabric of this society. There had not been a single day when people didn’t
suffer due to political unrests. The roads weren’t safe to travel and
continuous strikes simply had made life difficult for the Bangladeshis.
The possibilities of the series against Sri
Lanka , Asia Cup and World T20 looked thin as
Bangladesh ’s
fragile political stability became a matter of concern for the ICC. There had
been risks of shifting the venue from Bangladesh
to somewhere else and as a result, Bangladesh ’s
prestige was at stake. Sense and sensibility from the political parties was
much needed.
But, every fear, every doubt has been brushed away as Bangladesh
hosted all the three events with utmost success. The participating teams played
with the great spirit of the game and enjoyed utmost support from the local
fans.
For more than three months, Bangladesh
was not depressive. There was no ugly sound of bomb blasts, no torching of
buses, no fighting between the political activists and riot police and this
country was free from all sorts of political complexities and unrest. For
almost three months, the whole country was gripped by cricket fever. The whole
day and night cricket had been the only subject of conversation for the people
of Bangladesh . It
was a cricket carnival in Bangladesh .
Neither the Sri Lanka series, nor the Asia Cup nor the World
Twenty20 had been a memorable one for the Bangladeshi cricket fans as the
Tigers weren’t able to live up to the expectations. But no matter how much they
were upset with the home team’s performance, their passion and love for this
game has earned enough praises throughout the cricket world.
The participating teams in the Asia Cup and World Twenty20
had enjoyed warm support from the Bangladeshi cricket fans which indicates the
cordial nature of the people of Bangladesh .
Staging a mega event like the World Twenty20 had been Bangladesh ’s
biggest challenge. Last year, the ICC officials were not happy with Bangladesh
because of the improperly built stadiums and Bangladesh ’s
dream of hosting this event received a setback. No sooner had the ICC officials
waved the green flag regarding the stadiums; Bangladesh ’s
political environment went crazy and the day to day complex situation created
enough doubts over the World Twenty20.
Everything depended on how Bangladesh
proceeds with the Sri Lanka
series and Asia Cup. Both the events were staged successfully without any
hassles and it earned the faith of the other teams that Bangladesh
is safe to play cricket. The teams came to play in the World Twenty20, they
played some fantastic cricket, they enjoyed Bangladesh
and Bangladesh
was able to prove a point to the world – what cricket means to the people of Bangladesh .
It’s their life, it’s oxygen for them.
One must thank the politicians of Bangladesh
for showing enough composure throughout the series against Sri
Lanka , Asia Cup and World Twenty20. If sense
and sensibility was much needed during these events, then without a doubt, the
Bangladeshi politicians have been enough calm and composed and showed us all
that they can be sensible enough when it matters the most.
Note: This article was published on Sportskeeda on 7/04/2014 http://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/politicians-bangladesh-deserve-credit/
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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