A heartening experience

As we headed off for Edgbaston from the city centre in Birmingham we knew that it would take much longer than it normally does to reach the ground.

We were stuck in traffic for half-an-hour after a five-minute drive on a hired taxi. So we decided to walk along the road, watching a stream of people doing their morning constitutional. The road leading up the ground was full of noise. It looked like as if we were taking a long walk to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. The distinctive difference being that there were more Indian fans than Bangladeshi ones.

There were also plenty of ticket touts trying to make some quick bucks. But they were neither Bangladeshi nor Indian -- they were Birmingham locals. They were selling a 30 pound ticket for 60. But if you get close to the venue feeling that it might cost less, you are mistaken. The touts close to the main entrance would demand 100 pounds for the same ticket. You will also find the hawkers selling Bangladeshi and Indian flags along with other merchandise related to both countries.

The taxi driver, who dropped us about 1.5 km away from the ground, quipped: "I think a big match is going on in Edgbaston."

His comment was something very refreshing for someone who has seen the Tigers through the bad times, when a Bangladesh game in an international event against any team invoked little interest. But the entertainment that Bangladesh carried along in their semifinal against India is a big advertisement for the game and something very heartening for a Bangladesh follower.