Enthusiasm spreads beyond Sylhet greens

Watching fans wave at a team bus as it enters or leaves the ground is a lovely sight. A nod or an acknowledgment from a player is all it takes to add to the excitement, reports Wisden India.

If cricket's growth can be measured by how quickly it catches the attention of the locals even when the home team's not playing, Sylhet is already a winner - for the crowd at the opening fixture of the ICC Women's World Twenty20 on Sunday (March 23) stood at close to 9000 in a stadium whose capacity is 13,500.

When the empty stands are little more than giant concrete blocks that echo every word, every stroke in the middle, it's poor advertisement for the game. Which is why the players were particularly delighted at the response they got. "It was one of the biggest crowds I've played in front of," gushed Suzie Bates, the New Zealand captain, while Sana Mir, the Pakistan captain, added: "We've all heard of how passionate the Bangladesh fans are, to experience it in real is something else."

Bates had to scream her lungs out to get the attention of the fielders in the deep, during the course of New Zealand's game against Australia. "I've never really lost my voice at a cricket game before, today I did," she laughed. She's not quite complaining - it's a worthy exchange for the infectious enthusiasm that drives people to watch even the women's game. "We all want to play in front of big crowds. It's great to see this kind of atmosphere."

It was a welcome change from the previous World T20, which was played to near empty stands in Galle, Sri Lanka.

Even the organisers in Sylhet were perhaps caught a wee bit off guard by Sunday's crowd - after all, it wasn't as if the home team were playing - and were left scrambling to have their security mechanisms in place. The metal detectors that were safely detached on match-eve were quickly pressed into service; the food stalls did big business and, of course, the merchandise sellers went home smiling. "We've been on duty for over two weeks, but this something none of us expected," said a security officer. "Controlling crowds in Bangladesh is a challenge, you must've heard about incidents in the past. But this kind of crowd here in Sylhet is good to see. You will see a full house when Bangladesh plays."

In modern times, various sporting events have earmarked specific tunes as a part of their identity. The theme song of the World T20 - 'Char Chokka Hoi Hoi', which roughly translates to 'Let it rain fours and sixes', was an instant hit among all the spectators - schoolchildren, middle-aged men and those young women the television cameras always seem to find. One wouldn't have been mistaken in thinking the Sylhet stadium was hosting a big dance party, and the cricket was merely a sideshow.