Ticket farce as thousands are denied entry

Despite holding valid tickets for yesterday's one-dayer between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at Bogra, thousands of home fans were turned away at the gates and denied entry by local police.

Those fortunate enough to gain entry were sandwiched together inside the stadium with some even unable to stand; the scene outside the ground resembled a "human sea," which quickly turned into chaos when the gates were shut.

"It is unbelievable that we can't enter the stadium although we have valid tickets. You can't imagine how much effort it [required] to get the tickets," Harun-ur-Rashid, a businessman on a day out with his family, told The Daily Star.

It appears the Bangladesh Cricket Board mistakenly printed an extra 5000 tickets: the ground's capacity is 13,000 yet the board issued 18,000 to the public.

Bangladesh meet Sri Lanka again on Wednesday for the second of three one-dayers, before the first Test at Chittagong on February 28.