Dhaka Tidbits

The organizational aspect of the Bangladesh Cricket Board has really been fantastic once more. However, they have committed one simple mistake. The Indian flag flying here at the stadium has been strung upside down. The green colour is at top while the orange is at the bottom. As a result, the Chakra appears to be upside down. However, the organizers corrected it on Thursday evening after the mistake was pointed out to them.

Amidst all the controversy surrounding the game of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar's popularity amongst the female population can be described here as sky high. On Wednesday, a 17-year-old girl, was ready to get herself run over by the team bus carrying the Indian team. As the bus was about to leave the hotel, the girl lay down in front of it. Her demand was that she would like to marry Sachin Tendulkar. Finally, she had to be forcibly removed by women policemen. However, this is not a stray incident. A large number of girls in Dhaka put vermillion on their head each day that Tendulkar bats. They do that because they think of Tendulkar as their husband and the vermillion is a sign wishing the best for him.

For whose benefit is cricket being played in June anyway? The players are suffering in this oppresive humid heat in Dhaka. There are a very few spectators at the Bangabandhu stadium. Everybody is suffering as the ICC makes an effort to globalise the game. What will the ICC do if someday, a cricketer dies because of this heat. The Indian team for example is being forced to play for three successive days. The condition of the Pakistan team is more precarious. After travelling for two days from the West Indies, they will have to play three matches in four days. Is it fair to the cricketers to expose them to the vagaries of nature in such a fashion?

New Zealand will also support Bangladesh in their bid to obtain Test status. In a fax message to the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Saber Hossain Choudhury, the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Cricket Board, Christopher Doig has stated, "We are pleased to advise you that at our recent meeting the New Zealand Cricket Board unanimously agreed to lend support to your application for Test match status in June." The ICC meeting takes place this month.