Bangladesh supporters to cheer for Tigers

There are, according to 2011 census figures, just over 27,000 Bangladesh-born Australian residents and the entire state of Victoria has a little over 5000. If each and every Bangladesh-born human being in Australia turned up to cheer for their team in the World Cup quarter-final against India on Thursday, they could easily be drowned by the noise generated by expatriate and travelling fans on the other side.
Yet, Bangladesh would know that, on the biggest day in their country's cricket, they would want to generate not merely the noise of the crowd, but a sonic boom that carries home to their millions of fans.  
Bangladesh have gone from Canberra to Brisbane to Melbourne, to Nelson in New Zealand, back to Adelaide and then another time-difference buster back to Hamilton. The travel has also kept the Bangladesh squad away from excessive attention of local fans in the larger centres.  
The MCG today had scatterings of families taking photographs and inching close to the field where the Bangladeshis trained, but they were a miniscule presence in the great bulk of the ground. The last time Bangladesh had turned up in the World Cup, they gave hosts New Zealand their most nervy game of the competition.
Of the least concern to coach Chandika Hathurusingha was the prospect of an afternoon thunderstorm being predicted somewhere or the fact that India's spinners could have a feast in terms of their options on the vast expanse of the MCG. "See, we can't plan anything for weather and I don't think the wicket is going to spin that much, it is too early to say."   
The new centrifugal force of their batting has been Mahmudullah, and Soumya Sarkar is a confident gen-next figure. Like all great competitors and skillful athletes, Shakib Al Hasan has no doubt spent years waiting for a day like this.