He smiles say it all, not on our faces. The desire of the Indians to beat us (in cricket), their eagerness to prove a point after losing the last ODI series, and that their arch rivals Pakistan had upped us by only two runs in the previous Asia Cup final 2012, were reasons they could not hide even behind the giant placard that read 'Champion'.

As two national teams fight it out in the middle, opposing fans are caught in the frenzy of the rivalry. The bloodless confrontation continues long after the winning teamsters have uprooted the stumps, not without a battle cry, the sweat on their faces the war paint.

Notwithstanding the fact that Bangladesh trails India significantly in head-to-head encounters, which some would attribute to India's longer time on the crease of international cricket, but fuelled by the ascending form of the Tigers that led to a recent ODI series defeat of the neighbours and the acerbic 'mauka mauka' campaign, the rivalry (at least among the fans) has never been stronger. While this competition is generally positive for the game and the people of both countries, the stance of some overzealous followers of both the teams, particularly on the social media, would be no-balled by any umpire.

The game of cricket had perhaps lost its stamp of gentlemanliness in the late 1970's when Australian media tycoon, and an egotistical sports enthusiast, Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer confronted the cricket moguls of the ICC, England and Australia over television rights of the Ashes. He poured millions for hitherto underpaid cricketers to feature in 'his' World Series Cricket on transformed football pitches, and that too under light, and donning motorcycle helmets. Many of you will recognise him as Kerry Packer. For better or for worse, he changed the game for good.

In the game of cricket, bowlers will release the cherry, fast and slow, with straightened arm like Taskin Ahmed or bent like Jasprit Singh Bumrah. The ICC as well as the Indian buffs obviously has a different pair of eyes. At the other end, batsmen will clobber some deliveries to the rope, over or along the green carpet. Fielders, apparently the third factor in the circle, can make a big difference by restricting running between the wickets, or by holding or dropping what had come off the bat.

Despite such straight-cut divisions, silly as it may sound, even the greatest executors in the game will hint punditry by advocating that all the three departments must work out for a team to register victory. That's obvious, isn't it? Everyone, and anyone who knows a bat from a ball, knows that. And that brings us to literally the fourth branch in today's cricket - the decked up, heckling, and fanatical fans, without which cricket would have died in the latter part of the last century, and in whites too. No wonder Kerry and all those players, who had furtively signed above the dotted line for pay-checks that were more than their entire career's earnings, are looked up as saviours. RIP too, Tony Greig.

The media feud between some Bangladesh and Indian cricket fans has reached a point of indecency, and cannot be justified as being part of any sport: Name calling, taking matters to a personal level, bringing in socio-economic-political issues that are totally unrelated to the game, giving rise to suspicion that the perpetrators have more than one axe to grind.

Of course, news headlines such as "Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny of Bangladesh have been reported for suspect action by ICC, during the ongoing T20 World Cup 2016 in India", do not help mend fractures. That bizarre allegation by ICC officials, meaning umpires, during a crucial part of a tournament and so soon after Bangladesh were beaten by India in the Asia Cup final, brought out the previously unseen fervent and fiery side of Bangladesh's Sri Lankan Coach Chandika Hathurasingha. He was livid, and was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo: "If they have a concern about my bowlers, I have a concern about their [ICC's] actions as well. I don't see anything wrong. They have bowled the same way as the last twelve months."

Bangladesh fans were visibly enraged and were quick to compare Indian medium-fast bowler Bumrah's greatly bent right arm with that of Taskin's straight action. Some were of the opinion that India's fiscal domination of the global sport was the fuel in the fire. Others heaved a sigh of mocking relief, verbalised as 'Thank God, the Indians do not play football,' under a photo of Barcelona heroes, but caught forlorn on camera, Neymar Jr. and Lionel Messi. Such arguments are in line with sporting opinions.

Both sides, however have crossed, the lines on several occasions. For example, Taskin was photoshopped carrying Indian skipper M. S. Dhoni's head by the hair before the Asia Cup T20 final. The pungent pun boomeranged after our docile defeat to India, and then, again in bad taste, Indian supporters put up Dhoni carrying a beheaded Bangladeshi cricketer. And now Taskin's action?

With so much money, publicity and fame related to the game, it will be near impossible to take it back to the leisurely pastime about which Neville Cardus wrote between 1919 and before his death in 1975. Uncannily, Kerry Packer's World Series was played from 1977-79. But, good sense from all concerned can let us sit back and again enjoy the game for what it is.

The writer is a practising Architect at BashaBari Ltd., a Commonwealth Scholar and a Fellow, a Baden-Powell Fellow Scout Leader, and a Major Donor Rotarian.