Cricket craze set to descend

When this reporter was walking down Suffolk Street in Birmingham, a gentleman in his 40s was kind enough to show him the way to the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Broad Street. While having a conversation during the 10-minute walk he became enthusiastic when he understood that I was here for cricket.

He instantly showed a photo on his mobile where his father and he were standing with Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh. A member of a family of dentists, Robson said that his father travelled all the way to India to attend Yuvraj's wedding last year.

He is however not a keen follower of cricket, but his understanding is that the game is as popular in Bangladesh and India as the English Premier League football in England. He is also well aware of the fact that come next Thursday, the city will be abuzz with India and Bangladesh fans for the key Champions Trophy semifinal.

He parted ways once we reached the entrance of the imposing hotel where both Bangladesh and Indian players were residing. It was business as usual in the afternoon and the Bangladesh players looked very relaxed as some headed for shopping and some returned after doing a gym session at Edgesbaston, where Bangladesh will play their biggest game in an ICC flagship tournament in three days' time.

It was an optional day for practice and only the bowlers turned up to have some fitness drills at the ground. When left-arm pace bowler Mustafizur Rahaman returned to the hotel he was invited to have a few words with the waiting Bangladesh press.

Fizz has never been someone whom you will enjoy talking with. He said a few things this time around but those were more conventional other than serious insights into his thoughts. 

His only concern was that his cutters were not as effective here as they were in home condition. But this is something he will certainly overcome because he has got a shrewd cricket brain that can read the batsmen very well.  

Understandably, expectations are very high as he was the wrecker-in-chief when Bangladesh won the home series against India 2-1 in 2015. But it would be unwise to put him under any sort of pressure in conditions where he is still learning.

It is a good thing that the Bangladesh players are not as excited as their millions of followers, who have been in an intense, and often bitter, emotional attachment ever since Bangladesh's World Cup quarterfinal against India at the MCG in 2015.

Bangladesh's heart-breaking defeat against India at the R Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore during the T20 World Cup gave the otherwise one-sided battle a bit of a tasty feeling. It has however often assumed outsize proportions off the field, leading to an unhealthy battle in social media. And whether you like it or not, this overflowing emotion is set to take centre-stage leading up to the second semifinal of the tournament.

At the moment it looks like the Indians will outnumber their next-door neighbours in the stands on Thursday, and their cricketing heroes may well run away with a victory against an improving yet not-quite-up-there Tigers. The biggest advantage for Bangladesh however will be that they will start as underdogs, which they have been throughout the tournament so far.