Not so spectacular
Ten days of cricketing extravaganza came to an end last night when Kumar Sangakkara held aloft the Idea Cup with his team members on the podium. The Lankan captain deservedly took the plaudits, and the cash prizes too, having led his side to the first cricket trophy of the year.
But alas! there was hardly a third of the stadium full to cheer him on his team's success. Those that had come to witness an exciting finale got, on contrary, an early shock as favourites India had lost half of their side for a meagre 60. And only a few of them would imagine that the match would turn out as what it did in the end.
Blame whatever you like -- the weather, high ticket price, lack of interest in one-day cricket because of too much of it, the hosts' poor performance, or the predictability of the outcomes -- but the fact remains that the whole meet turned out to be the least-enthusiastic of tournaments in memory. The tournament coincided with two mediocre to severe cold waves that blew across the country and made watching cricket at the stadium a torture. Then there was the exorbitant pricing of tickets that staved off many a die-hard fan from attending.
After two poor turnouts in the first two matches, some had turned up to cheer the teams. The crowd started to build up and peaked in Bangladesh's first encounter with India. But as the tournament went towards a predictable end with the hosts making a docile exit, fans opted to remain home.
Even the best efforts from the organisers -- slashing gallery ticket price from Tk 300 to Tk 200 -- or the sponsors flying in a Bollywood actor did little to cheer the crowd. Go back twelve years, on a wintry evening like this at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. India were playing another subcontinent superpower Pakistan in the final of the triangular Independence Cup. Bangladesh as yesterday were also mere spectators on that day. It was as chilly that day as it was yesterday, if not more. But that didn't keep the cricket lovers from making the gallery an ocean of people.
So, what happened to deter people after twelve years when in the meantime the enthusiasm for the game has gone through the roof? Are Bangladeshi fans over with their charm for live one-day cricket? I dare say not.
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