No let up in cricketing in Bangladesh and elsewhere
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Zaglul A Chowdhury
Close on the heels of the greatest cricket extravaganza-Cricket World Cup 2011-we in Bangladesh and others in the cricketing world are now taking immense interest in the on-going IPL in India. The IPL has now come to be known as an expensive, but entertaining cricketing event that draws well known players from all over the world. Needless to say, top Indian players are obviously in the competition involving as many as ten teams named after different regions or states of India and that makes these teams particularly popular in that area. For instance, KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) has large following in West Bengal state of India and the Bengali-speaking people are generally fond of this team since it has the tag "Kolkata" attached to it. No wonder, this team is quite popular in Bangladesh as well for the obvious reason of geographical proximity to Kolkata. Furthermore, celebrities like the top film stars in the form of owners of the teams have added glamour and lustre to the IPL and during the live telecast when they are shown, it gives additional delight to the spectators. Super star Shahrukh Khan is the main owner of the KKR along with Juhi Chawla and likewise, Priti Zinta of the King IX Punjab and Shilpa Shettey of Rajasthan Royals. Several cricket greats of present time as well as of the immediate past like Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Cris Gyale, Shane Warne, Bret Lee, MS Dhoni, Jacque Kallis, Daniel Vettori and last but not the least, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al-Hasan are playing in the IPL this time. It is gratifying to note that the IPL being hosted by India, a South Asian nation, is a reflection of the growing interest in cricket in this region. Of late, former Indian captain and "the Prince of Kolkata" Sourav Ganguli is also playing for the IPL, but this time not for the KKR, but another side. India fittingly won the Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy, in a splendid fashion and in the process has turned a new leaf not only in the sporting history of India, but the entire South Asian region. This was a great moment for the region as never before the top two teams in such a competition have been from South Asia, as Sri Lanka emerged the runners up. As such, it is a rare honour for the region and we all are rejoicing the great accomplishment. Furthermore, a third South Asian country-Pakistan-reached the last four and played at the semi-finals level and thereby added another feather in the regional glory since never before in the world cup cricket three South Asian nations reached the last four. Indeed, this is a monumental success for the South Asian teams, as they sidelined such mighty cricketing prowess like Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies. Only New Zealand could reach the semi-final stage, where they were effectively beaten by the Sri Lanka. In any case, India deserved great accolades for its all round performance in the tournament that was reflected in batting, bowling and fielding-the last was particularly worth watching in the final match against the Lankans. The final held in the famous Whankhade Stadium in the cricket-frenzy Mumbai was the culmination of the more than a month-long sporting festival that began with the opening match in Dhaka between India and home team Bangladesh. South Asians have not excelled well in other areas of sport like the football, although once India and Pakistan were the main world powers in the field hockey. That era is over now in the face of ever increasing dominance of the Europeans and the South Americans in hockey. India and Pakistan are, nonetheless, still forces to reckon with in hockey. But South Asians are totally out of the question in the global football and cricket is the game in which regional countries are progressing admirably. It is important that this game is further followed and pursued since here the regional nations have carved out a niche for themselves in the global competition. It is in the fitness of things that the IPL is taking place in South Asian nation. The IPL is quite popular in Bangladesh as cricket fans see the matches and discuss them often. Undeniably and not surprisingly, Shakib's performance is one of the main areas of interest for the Bangladeshis. So far, a top all rounder of the world, Shakib has fared quite well with ball, but a good batting remains elusive for him. Hopefully, as the only Bangladeshi in the IPL, he would demonstrate his all round capability in the future. .................................................. E-mail : zaglulbss@yahoo.com
Close on the heels of the greatest cricket extravaganza-Cricket World Cup 2011-we in Bangladesh and others in the cricketing world are now taking immense interest in the on-going IPL in India. The IPL has now come to be known as an expensive, but entertaining cricketing event that draws well known players from all over the world. Needless to say, top Indian players are obviously in the competition involving as many as ten teams named after different regions or states of India and that makes these teams particularly popular in that area. For instance, KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) has large following in West Bengal state of India and the Bengali-speaking people are generally fond of this team since it has the tag "Kolkata" attached to it. No wonder, this team is quite popular in Bangladesh as well for the obvious reason of geographical proximity to Kolkata. Furthermore, celebrities like the top film stars in the form of owners of the teams have added glamour and lustre to the IPL and during the live telecast when they are shown, it gives additional delight to the spectators. Super star Shahrukh Khan is the main owner of the KKR along with Juhi Chawla and likewise, Priti Zinta of the King IX Punjab and Shilpa Shettey of Rajasthan Royals. Several cricket greats of present time as well as of the immediate past like Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Cris Gyale, Shane Warne, Bret Lee, MS Dhoni, Jacque Kallis, Daniel Vettori and last but not the least, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al-Hasan are playing in the IPL this time. It is gratifying to note that the IPL being hosted by India, a South Asian nation, is a reflection of the growing interest in cricket in this region. Of late, former Indian captain and "the Prince of Kolkata" Sourav Ganguli is also playing for the IPL, but this time not for the KKR, but another side. India fittingly won the Cricket World Cup 2011 trophy, in a splendid fashion and in the process has turned a new leaf not only in the sporting history of India, but the entire South Asian region. This was a great moment for the region as never before the top two teams in such a competition have been from South Asia, as Sri Lanka emerged the runners up. As such, it is a rare honour for the region and we all are rejoicing the great accomplishment. Furthermore, a third South Asian country-Pakistan-reached the last four and played at the semi-finals level and thereby added another feather in the regional glory since never before in the world cup cricket three South Asian nations reached the last four. Indeed, this is a monumental success for the South Asian teams, as they sidelined such mighty cricketing prowess like Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies. Only New Zealand could reach the semi-final stage, where they were effectively beaten by the Sri Lanka. In any case, India deserved great accolades for its all round performance in the tournament that was reflected in batting, bowling and fielding-the last was particularly worth watching in the final match against the Lankans. The final held in the famous Whankhade Stadium in the cricket-frenzy Mumbai was the culmination of the more than a month-long sporting festival that began with the opening match in Dhaka between India and home team Bangladesh. South Asians have not excelled well in other areas of sport like the football, although once India and Pakistan were the main world powers in the field hockey. That era is over now in the face of ever increasing dominance of the Europeans and the South Americans in hockey. India and Pakistan are, nonetheless, still forces to reckon with in hockey. But South Asians are totally out of the question in the global football and cricket is the game in which regional countries are progressing admirably. It is important that this game is further followed and pursued since here the regional nations have carved out a niche for themselves in the global competition. It is in the fitness of things that the IPL is taking place in South Asian nation. The IPL is quite popular in Bangladesh as cricket fans see the matches and discuss them often. Undeniably and not surprisingly, Shakib's performance is one of the main areas of interest for the Bangladeshis. So far, a top all rounder of the world, Shakib has fared quite well with ball, but a good batting remains elusive for him. Hopefully, as the only Bangladeshi in the IPL, he would demonstrate his all round capability in the future. .................................................. E-mail : zaglulbss@yahoo.com