<i>Barmy Army rule the galleries</i>
The famed Barmy Army, a supporters' group of the England cricket team, made their presence felt with few local fans turning out at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here yesterday.
The Barmy Army were spread across the stands at the club house, special enclosure and galleries with flags of different sizes.
According to Ed Dumpleton, almost two hundred fans have arrived in the port city to cheer on their team.
"Around 200 people of the Barmy Army arrived in Chittagong on Thursday form England and will enjoy the two Test matches before departing the country from Dhaka," said Dumpleton who sat in the gallery.
A chef by profession, Dumpleton has toured India with the England team a few years ago.
While the few who turned up to support the hosts cheered, it was a surprisingly low turnout by recent standards.
Weekly holiday, first day of the Test match against England and slashed ticket prices could not outweigh a lack of star presence, heat and the fans' trouble with the remote location of the stadium (at the northwest corner of the city).
With no Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Mohammad Ashraful around, it was tough to bring in the crowd in the hot weather. Add to that the venue itself is a disadvantage as it is very difficult for the local fans to get a ride back to town.
The makeshift ticket-counter at the entrance was empty throughout the day while usually some viewers arrive at the venue even after Friday prayers.
But it was a different story for the fans who came to support the visitors.
Andrew Matthews, a first-timer Barmy Army, praised the English boys for the huge score and hoped it will be a competitive match.
"This is my first visit with the Barmy Army and I'm enjoying in Chittagong,” said Englishman Matthews, who is a banker in Australia.
Comments