A jovial Tigers fan goes through the regulation security checking at the entrance of the SBNCS yesterday.Photo: STAR

Bangladeshis love cricket, and going by the prevalent mood at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium during the lone T20 against the West Indies yesterday, it is the shortest form of the game that really does the trick for cricket lovers here.
Even without the obvious popularity of the shortest format there was enough subtext to the game to keep fans interested. It was, after all, only the second T20 International to be played in the country, and the first ever in the capital; the last time Bangladeshis saw a T20I was in Khulna in November 2006.
Although there have been no international T20s here in a while, audiences here let their love be known for the format last year during the NCL T20 domestic competition in Dhaka, which garnered a huge fan following.
“T20 is my favourite form of cricket,” said Anik, a student who was waiting for the game to start half an hour before the scheduled start of play.
“The last time a T20 took place in Bangladesh, it was in Khulna, so I could not go to watch. But I always watch the IPL or the Champions League T20 whenever I get the chance.”
His friend and fellow student Atiq echoed his sentiments regarding the game's newest form.
“It is much more exciting than 50-over cricket, and it takes three hours to play, which is very convenient, especially for us students,” he opined.
And it was mostly the student population who filled up half the arena even before the match had even started understandable given the possible overlap between the start time of 5:00pm and office closing hours around the city, as well as the attraction T20 matches hold for the younger segment of the audience. The office-goers must have made it to the ground because it was all but full halfway through the West Indies innings.
There was another point of interest regarding the match, a point that Bangladeshis will not soon forget -- the last time the two sides met, in a World Cup match in February -- Bangladesh were skittled out for 58.
“That was the past, we do not need to worry about it,” said Jipu, a merchandiser who was entering the gates just as the match was about to start.
“Today we will win,” he said with a smile full of hope.
“I don't know whether we will win or not, but I want there to be competition between the two sides,” said Kanak, an expatriate visiting from London. “I personally think that T20s, because they are so unpredictable, give Bangladesh a very good chance to spring a win today.”
And that may be the essence of the appeal of the shortest format of the game to Bangladeshi supporters -- its unpredictability gives their team more of an even chance to finish winners. Whatever the reason, the format is an immensely popular one among Bangladeshis, a fact that bodes well for the T20 World Cup here in 2014.