'Foes only on the field'

The clouds were hovering in the sky. It was drizzling. But going by the last few days one could tell that the gloomy atmosphere would soon disappear and that it would give way to a beautiful day of cricket. That is what happened later as the sun shone in all its glory soon after breakfast.

The sunshine had an effect on the streets as well. The calm and quiet roads eventually turned into festive zones as fans paraded towards the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) to watch the second opening match of the ICC World Cup between Australia and England.

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There were smiles all around ahead of the high-voltage encounter, which witnessed 84,336 people at the MCG; so much so that the result of the game apparently didn't matter to some. “We are going there (MCG) to see England lose the match,” an elderly English woman, accompanied by her husband, jokingly said at the hotel lift. She obviously wasn't blind. England's recent run barely swung the odds in their favour.

It wasn't just the match. For the thousands who gathered near the MCG, it was an occasion to celebrate the weekend. Many reached the venue well before the match started. Children played tennis-ball-cricket at the Yarra Park, which surrounds Australia's sporting Mecca.

As the match began, the venue transformed into a human sea. In a way it was similar to scenes at Mirpur, where packed galleries tend to be the norm, but three times as big. Fans came not only from Melbourne but also from other cities. Peter Smith, a 26-year-old from Perth was one of them.  “I'm excited. It's going to be an awesome experience to watch this match. Australia are one of the favourites but I believe South Africa can do something in this World Cup,” said the young man.

During the opening ceremony two days earlier, it was learnt that the Australia and England players maintained distance between themselves and didn't even share smiles. The fans though were on a different trip, gossiping and having fun with each other. “We are foes only when the game is going on,” said Angela with a smile. She could not however hide the glum on her face when Glenn Maxwell began smacking boundaries towards the end of the Australia innings to take the game away from the visitors.