Despite rising costs and lack of facilities, Bangladeshi fans go to stadiums for the love of the game
"When Bangladesh play well, we forget all of these nightmares of experiences."
Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) gallery was completely opposite of what it was just three days ago. Jampacked, loud, and vibrant even on a weekday.
Shaantarul Islam Shaan, a university student whose primary earning is tuition money, skipped classes and tuition to watch the match live from the gallery. Towfique Hasnaine, a private job holder, skipped office even though he is a little superstitious regarding his presence in the gallery. Bangladesh won only once when he was in the gallery and he watched at least 10 matches live from the stadium.
The timing of Bangladesh vs England matches has been unusual. ODIs start at 12 pm and T20Is from 3 pm. One would expect people to be less enthusiastic about the match on weekdays. Well, the first ODI at Mirpur and the third in Chattogram did spark some criticisms. Add to that, no facilities for the fans and the sufferings they have to go through to watch a cricket match live.
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"I came here for the love of Bangladesh cricket," Shaan said.
"It's (coming to the stadium) absolutely connected with emotions. People mainly come here for two reasons. One, they come here to enjoy the game and two, they come to enjoy the time as a part of the entertainment."
While some people prefer watching the matches on TV, stadium-coming fans believe the experience is totally different and they get to express their emotions for the game.
"The atmosphere is all that matters, and it's completely different here. You can feel people's passion and emotion when you come to the stadium," Towfique said.
"And nothing beats this feeling knowing you're one of them," a vibrant Towfique added as Towhid Hridoy and Najmul Hossain Shanto were dealing in boundaries in the middle.
Shaan echoed Towfique's words. The atmosphere is everything and he also mentioned the Mexican waves being a huge part of it.
"The atmosphere makes you feel alive. The Mexican waves, cheering the players, jumping like crazy after winning - these are what we come for."
For some, watching the players live in front of their own eyes is something special as well.
The spectators don't always have a pleasant experience coming to the stadium. Actually, it's mostly the bad experiences and the high price of tickets, food and all.
"There are no minimum facilities for the spectators. The suffering begins even before they enter the gate of the stadium. They have to walk for almost 20-30 minutes since the road leading to the stadium is kept closed," Shaan mentioned.
"Food and beverage experience is really poor. The price is way too high. They are selling a burger for Tk150, and a small glass of water for 10 Tk. Especially, the crisis for water is unimaginable, and that too on this hot summer day," Towfique further said.
Bear in mind, one has to spend a minimum of Tk1000 to 1500 to watch a match live. During this inflation, it's tough for most people. Still, they come and cheer for the Tigers.
"It is massive (spending almost Tk 1500), especially due to the inflation. Spending almost Tk 1500 for a match from personal expenses is tough but emotion wins over reality sometimes," a visibly happy Shaan said as Bangladesh were nearing victory.
But all these terrible experiences and problems vanish when Bangladesh play well. Spectators forget all the pain and suffering.
"When Bangladesh play well, we forget all of these nightmares of experiences."
But is it all worth it? To spend such a huge amount of money and take such a heavy toll just to watch a cricket match skipping important work?
"Absolutely, it's worth it. And if Bangladesh wins, then it's even better, but it's always worth spending so much money and taking such toll to watch a Bangladesh match live," Towfique said as Bangladesh were on the verge of an epic victory over the world champions.
At the end of the day, Bangladesh dominated England and beat the world champions by six wickets. Towfique broke his stadium curse. Shaan's hard-earned money was well spent. It was all worth it in the end. It's always worth it.
