Bangladesh fans may not have completely filled the 66-thousand capacity Eden Gardens stadium but around 15 thousand of them made their presence known during Bangladesh's sixth match of the ongoing ICC World Cup against the Netherlands yesterday.

An air of anticipation of a victory enveloped the iconic stadium as supporters from all around Bangladesh started gathering, creating an exhilarating environment. Chants of 'Bangladesh, Bangladesh' could be heard throughout the game, transforming Kolkata into a mini Mirpur.

There was a lot at stake for the demoralised Bangladesh side after four consecutive defeats. Bangladesh supporters made sure they played the role of the twelfth man, fully backing the team once they were asked to bowl first.

Bangladesh introduced two changes to their lineup, with pacer Taskin Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan returning. The changes in personnel worked well as the bowlers did their part in bundling out the Dutch for 229 in 50 overs.

Pacers Shoriful Islam and Taskin struck early, dismissing both Dutch openers Vikramjit Singh and Max O'Dowd within three overs. The Netherlands, on the other hand, were able to rebound from the early setback, as Wesley Barresi and Colin Ackermann added 59 runs for the third wicket.

But Mustafizur Rahman provided Bangladesh the crucial breakthrough, dismissing Barresi with a cutter after he had scored a fluent run-a-ball 41. The Tigers pounced on the momentum soon after, with Shakib giving the Dutch a double punch by removing Ackerman in the next over.

Bangladesh, though, were made to pay for two dropped catches when Liton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim handed reprieve to Dutch skipper Scott Edwards in the 16th over, leaving Mustafizur a frustrated figure. Liton dropped Edwards at the gully before Mushfiqur also missed a relatively regulation catch behind the stumps.

Edwards went on to score team-high 68 runs off 89 balls, striking six fours, providing his bowlers something to defend. Bangladesh fans opined that missed opportunities in fielding can prove costly in big matches.

"I think we played average cricket because we dropped Dutch captain Edwards twice before he even opened his account. We may have gotten away with it since the Netherlands are an inexperienced team than us, but we must be cautious while playing against the elites," Ershad Alam, who traveled from Naraynaganj to see the game, told The Daily Star.

"We are pleased that the Tigers were able to bundle out the opponent to 229 runs, but we expect a better performance from our team in future," he added.

Despite Bangladesh's efforts in the middle overs, Netherlands gained momentum later in the innings, scoring 36 runs in the final three overs. Logan van Beek, who was undefeated on 23 off 16 balls with two fours and a six, faced Mahedi in the penultimate over and smashed him for 17 runs.

In response, Bangladesh's top-order once again failed to deliver, and they were battling on 45 for three at one stage before slumping to 70 for six, while enthusiastic Tigers fans fell mute in dismay.

"Batting has been our main concern, and we expected a better performance from the top-order because we were chasing a low target. It's quite disheartening if we can't beat a team like the Netherlands with authority. Whatever happens, we will support our team, but the players must take responsibility," said Shahed Ahmed, a businessman who travelled to Kolkata with his family to watch the Tigers in action.

Bangladesh team boast one of the most passionate fanbase, as Eden Gardens witnessed yesterday. However, also on display was that having a twelfth man counts little to nothing to the team's cause if majority of the ones in playing eleven are incapable of rising to the occasion.