Stages of watching a Bangladesh cricket match

OVERS 1 - 15

The match starts pretty well, with our bowlers keeping a check on the runs. Mashrafe does what he does best (being economical), and even Taskin manages to bowl a few decent overs. The opponent team hasn't lost many wickets, but isn't scoring freely either. As the opposition's run rate falls, your expectations soar like those of Bengali parents expecting a doctor/engineer. In other words, very high.  

OVERS 15 - 30

Oh dear. This isn't going as planned. The opposition batsmen have taken a liking to the bowlers. All of the bowlers. As they batter the ball beyond the boundaries of the oval, you're in shock. “But it was going so well,” you think to yourself. Little do you know, this is the most likely chain of events when a team doesn't lose wickets in the first 15 overs. 

Mashrafe looks lost. Taskin starts to misfield with alarming frequency. Kayes drops a few catches. Nothing is going well, and it looks like divine intervention is the only thing that can stop the onslaught. You decide to scrap the well-informed and completely realistic post about Bangladesh's high chances of winning. Now is not the time. 

OVERS 30 - 50

Well that could have been much worse. Somehow our boys managed to rein in the run-machine. Rubel and Taskin bowled some nice yorkers, and we finally held on to a few catches. The opposition has been kept to below 320, which is definitely a moral victory for Bangladesh. You are overjoyed at this turn of events.

The team has even done enough for you to proudly proclaim we have a fighting chance. Time to go on social media and tell everyone how that one over from Shakib changed the whole match. You fish out your jersey from the bottom of the dresser, because how will people know you support Bangladesh if you don't post a picture wearing the jersey? 

2ND INNINGS, OVERS 1 - 10

This is unexpected. Tamim is batting well, and there seems to be a partnership building. Wickets haven't been falling either. Things seem to be going well. Too well. You know from past experiences that this is probably a false dawn, but you don't care. Not even the thought of the extremely unreliable batting order can stop you from enjoying this good passage of play. Living in a bubble is fun while it lasts. 

2ND INNINGS, OVERS 10 - 20

Wait a second, this isn't a false dawn - they're actually playing well. The current run rate is just below the required run rate. The opposition are under significant pressure, and Bangladesh seem to be on top of the game for the first time in the match. This is pretty exciting stuff. You're at the edge of your seat, cheering each boundary. It's been a while since you felt this excited watching a match. 

“This time they'll win,” you tell yourself.

2ND INNINGS, OVERS 20 – 50 46.5

You should have known. It's always the same, isn't it? The middle order collapses like Jenga blocks, and a win looks about as likely as Hero Alom winning an Oscar. Eventually the lower order manages to drag the game till the end - nope, never mind. Bangladesh gets bowled out before 50 overs and now you can't even call it a shomman jonok haar. 

The wind sufficiently taken out of your sails, you throw away your jersey in disgust. Time to get ready for the annoying Indian memes ridiculing the cricket team, and to make it worse you can't even refute them. As you start making jokes about the cricket team letting you down one last time when you die, you cry internally. 

But no matter how many times they do this to you, you'll keep coming back. At the end of the day, they're still your team and you love them in defeat as you love them in victory. 

Wasique Hasan is still traumatized by the drubbing Bangladesh received at South Africa. Send him help/pay for his therapy at facebook.com/hasique.wasan