Bangladesh cricket fans show dark side

Dileep Premachandran

Last Updated: Mar 7, 2011

Watching a cricket match in front of heaving stands on the subcontinent is something every sports fan should experience at least once.

The facilities may be basic, but the enthusiasm and fervour around you make up for that.

Faces painted, placards in hand and voices loud, the fans create an atmosphere that can inspire and intimidate in equal measure.

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We saw the best of them at the opening ceremony in Dhaka and the first game of the World Cup in Mirpur. Despite India winning comfortably, the eight hours witnessed an outpouring of Bangladeshi pride.

The stands were a sea of green, with red dots, and every attacking stroke from Bangladesh was greeted by a cacophony of noise. The message seemed to be: "Win or lose, we'll stand by our team."

On Friday evening, the mood was very different. The match against the West Indies, one that Bangladesh probably needed to win to keep alive hopes of progressing to the last eight, had not gone according to plan. It had been an embarrassment, with Kemar Roach and Sulieman Benn rolling the hosts over for just 58.

It was over before the floodlights could get warmed up, and incensed fans took their anger out on whatever they could find. One of the targets was the bus carrying the West Indies team back to their hotel. Reports also said that the house of Shakib Al Hasan, the captain, in the town of Magura had been attacked.

That is the other side of the passion, the frustration that transforms dejection into violence. Such incidents are, sadly, nothing new in this part of the world though.

In India, rioting crowds marred Test matches against the West Indies (Eden Gardens, 1966/67) and Australia (Brabourne Stadium, 1969/70) nearly half a century ago.

The nadir was reached in 1996, when bedlam in the stands forced organisers to call off the World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka, also in Kolkata. India were on the verge of defeat and disappointment manifested itself in disgraceful scenes.

After a defeat to Australia in the early stages of the 2003 World Cup, some players had their homes attacked and daubed with black paint.

In 2007, when India exited in the first round, MS Dhoni's under-construction house was the target of fans' ire.

When asked about the incident at Shakib's house, Dhoni's response was tinged with both anger and resignation.

"It's unfortunate, but in the subcontinent that's how the fans react," he said. "They should remember it's not the players living in that home right now, it's the family members and they don't have anything to do with cricket.

"You need backing when you're not doing well because when you're winning games and everybody's with you, the emotions, the expectation level, the appreciation, everything is there.

"But the real fans of cricket will be with you when you're not doing well, when you are a bit low, when the team is not doing well, those are the real fans of cricket."

The Bangladesh team were rattled enough by what happened for Ian Pont, their bowling coach, to take the unusual step of posting an appeal on an internet fan forum. "Please can all Bangladesh fans agree to support the whole squad whatever happens," he wrote.

"Support Bangladesh regardless of whether they win easily or not. Shout and cheer for the Tigers even if the game is not going to plan. This really is the DUTY of every fan. Because REAL fans do not make the game harder by booing and jeering their own players."

Intolerable pressure on players, and unrealistic expectations from fans. There is no more unappetising cocktail.

sports@thenational.ae

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